


The Dursley Witch - Year One

by Natasja



Series: The Dursley Witch [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dursley Witch, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-28
Updated: 2014-12-16
Packaged: 2017-12-30 18:07:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1021771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natasja/pseuds/Natasja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are plenty of 'Main-Character-Has-A-Sister' stories, but what if she wasn't a Potter/Malfoy/Granger? </p><p>What if she was a Dursley? What if Vernon and Petunia had solid reasons for not liking Magic? Thrown into a world that is everything her family hates and that she knows nothing about, too cautious for Gryffindor, too distrustful and closed-off for Hufflepuff, can she survive what is most certainly not a fairytale come true?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

 

 

It had all started when Dudley and Roisin Dursley, of Number Four, Privet Drive, had been settling down for their pre-dinner nap.

  
Listening to the classical dance music that their mother often played to get them to sleep, Roisin had been awoken rather sharply when two of the dolls that slept in the crib with her had started waltzing, prompting a loud wail from her brother.  
  
Her 19-month-old mind unable to comprehend the term 'impossible', Roisin really didn't know what all the fuss was about, but the end result had been Dudley throwing her dolls out the window and screaming for Mummy.  
  
Roisin's 19-month-old mind was able to comprehend the opinion that, honestly, her brother was taking things way out of proportion.  
  


* * *

Mummy had thought that it was just a half-asleep dream from the limitless mind of an infant, but it hadn't stopped her from fussing over Dudley for the rest of the afternoon and evening, mostly ignoring Roisin.  
  
Roisin had sulked about this for a while, but her mind was too young to focus on anything for a long amount of time, so she had eventually become bored with sulking.  
  
Letting Dudley be fussed over, Roisin occupied herself by curling up in a corner, looking through her picture books and playing with her dolls, seeing if any of the others would dance as well.  
  
Sadly, they wouldn't, and the novelty of this activity eventually wore off, and Roisin's eyes began to wander for something else to do.  
  


* * *

Mummy fed them slowly that night, largely because of Dudley testing out a new word (shan't) and refusing to eat, and then Daddy was home.  
  
Daddy had read her a book, and then taken her upstairs to join Dudley in sleep while Mummy made tea.  
  
Aside from the dolls, it had been a normal day at the Dursley residence.  
  


* * *

Roisin had always been the type of child who slept lightly, but seldom woke during the night, and went back to sleep with minimal fussing. Her parents were very relieved, as one fussy twin was more than enough.  
  
Tonight was the exception. The comforting glow of the streetlamps suddenly went out, prompting Mrs Next Door's multitude of cats, who were on the nocternat side, to send up yowls of protest. While most people would sleep through it, in was enough out of the ordinary to wake Roisin.  
  
With her cot next to the window, Roisin could see a glimpse of the unusual gathering of an old man with a very strange beard (Daddy would throw a fit if he saw the length of it!), and a cat who turned into a woman. They spoke for a while, the woman looking upset, and then angry about something.  
  
At 19-months old, Roisin was perfectly capable of climbing out of her crib onto the window-seat directly beside it, to get a better look as the sound of a motorcycle, almost unheard of in Privet Drive, shattered the quiet. A large motorbike, ridden by an even larger man, dropped out of the sky. Roisin puzzled over this momentarily, and then dismissed it. After all, many things that grown-ups did were silly, in her eyes. Flying motorcycles were sillier than usual, but oh well.  
  
The three adults talked again, before the big man handed something to the old man, who placed it on the doorstep. Roisin frowned; the milkman wouldn't come for several hours, and you could always tell because Mr End Of The Street's dogs could be heard all the way at Number 4. Eventually, the strange gathering separated and left, and things returned to normal.  
  


* * *

Normality would be shattered the next day, however, with Petunia Dursley's ear-splitting scream, and the unwanted arrival of her cousin, Harry Potter.

 

 

 


	2. The Early Years and Strange Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Growing up Magical in a family that hates magic can be difficult, and the wierdos who pop up out of nowhere and won't stop sending letters aren't helping

_March 22nd, 1985_

It had been a little under three and a half years since Harry Potter had arrived at the Dursley's, and he was currently sitting in a corner as his cousins celebrated their 5th birthday.

Or rather, Harry was watching Dudley bask in his parent's attention, while Roisin avoided Aunt Marge's powerful hugs and either sat with her best friend, both girls with their noses buried in a book that Roisin had been given, or played with Grandma Fionna, who fussed over her just as much as her parents did over Dudley. Harry's Aunt and Uncle spoiled both children, but when one was happy to sit quietly and make her own entertainment while the other demanded attention, some favouritism was to be expected.

Harry liked Grandma Fionna, even if they weren't strictly related. She always had a kind word for him, and would often slip him a treat when his Aunt and Uncle weren't looking. She didn't pay him much attention beyond that, however, and his Aunt and Uncle always put up a show of tolerance in front of visitors. Looking back at his cousins, Harry once again marveled at the differences. Dudley was blond and very plump, with piggy blue eyes and a pink face. In startling contrast, Roisin had her father's black hair and expressive grey eyes, her build tall and slim, which was clearly from her mother. Actually, Harry himself was mistaken for Roisin's brother far more often than Dudley was.

Harry was certainly a lot closer to Roisin than she was to any of the other Dursleys. Roisin was largely indifferent to the fact that he was not her brother and that the rest of her family preferred to ignore his existence. She still had a child's worship for her parents and belief that they were right, and so never really went out of her way to include him, but she wasn't really mean to him, either. Roisin had settled for a happy medium, treating him with the affectionate disinterest that all children have for younger relations.

She also never went wild whenever something unexplainable happened around him. Of course, this last fact could have been because Roisin had made a few strange things happen herself, though she tried to pretend that it was just a coincidence.

Funnily enough, Vernon and Petunia never seemed to notice, (or blamed it on Harry - which Roisin seldom contradicted) even when the colour of Roisin's room changed from nauseating shades of pink to softer shades of dark and light blue.

* * *

_July 31st, 1985…_

Harry's small face lit up in delight as his Uncle Vernon handed him a brightly wrapped package. Beaming, he tore it open. Inside lay a small black spatula. He looked at his Aunt and Uncle, confusion clear on his face. "What is it?"

Uncle Vernon's eyes narrowed. "You use it to cook, boy. It's time that you started earning your keep, so get to the kitchen and start making breakfast!"

Harry's face fell. Roisin shot a sympathetic, but discreet look at her cousin, and an un-noticed reproachful one at her father. Young as she was, she had taken their kindergarten teacher's lecture about treating everyone the same and being open to new things very much to heart. Her parents had been disappointed in her when she tried to explain this, though, so she tried different ways.

Following Dudley's frequent example, she grabbed the spatula and ran up to her mother. "Why does Harry get one and I don't? Teach me, Mummy, I want to learn!"

The look of chagrin on his relatives' faces was the high-light of Harry's day.

* * *

_December, 1986…_

Harry slowly walked home from school, an arm around his crying cousin. He was a boy, and boys didn't cry, but he could easily see where Roisin was coming from. Besides, she almost never cried, so Harry decided that he could make an exception. 

He knew, without a doubt, that they were both in for trouble when they got back home. Harry had somehow turned his teacher's wig blue, and just knew that he was headed for a week in the cupboard as soon as the Dursleys found out. Possibly longer, if he got blamed for the other incident as well, even though he had been halfway across the school when it happened.   
Roisin had managed to throw a paint-pot from a table onto another student's head when they made fun of her painting – while on the other side of the room. Even the Dursley's amazing powers of denial and selective memory was going to have a hard time explaining that away.

 _Later that night…_   
Roisin wore a pensive frown as she headed upstairs, "accidentally" dropping a slice of toast within reach of the cupboard under the stairs, nudging it to where a pencil could draw it inside the cupboard door. It was left over from the dinner party for one of Daddy's clients from America last week, and one of the few things in the kitchen that would fit between door and meticulously clean floor.

There had been mixed reactions to the news that Harry and Roisin had brought home. Grandma Fionna was visiting, and looked absolutely delighted when Roisin had taken a detour to tell her about it before her parents found out. The older woman had hugged her grand-daughter and promised that every thing would be all right.

Her parents, on the other hand, had been shocked and horrified at the news of what had happened at school. Her father had looked like he was actually going to explode before her mother had intervened. Asking her mother why she wasn't angry had produced a shrug and "You're my daughter. That's enough."

"Enough" hadn't stopped Petunia from acting very stiff and formal toward her daughter ever since the news, however. Walking up to her parent's room to say goodnight, Roisin saw her father entering, and for a moment their eyes met. Then Vernon looked away and very deliberately shut the door behind him.

 

The mind of a child is an amazing thing. Sitting in her room after her father's abrupt dismissal, Roisin had looked over previous incidents and decided that they had all happened at times of very high emotion. 

Roisin wasn't exactly a highly-strung person, so the logical solution would be to just keep calm. She would just have to have better control over herself, and make sure that nothing else happened where her parents or various authority figures would notice.

Then maybe her parents wouldn't be upset any more.

* * *

Things eventually started to come to a head on Roisin and Dudley's eleventh birthday.

Except for a letter for Roisin (which Dudley had tripped and dropped in the fire in a genuine accident, but then blamed Harry anyway), the day had progressed normally, with money and presents for the twins, Dudley whining about there being less presents than last year and an excellent breakfast.

Harry may have resented being made to cook, but it was Roisin's birthday, and she usually tried to do something nice on his, even if it was only nice by Dursley standards. Still, as the one person who regularly showed _any_ kindness, no matter how small, Harry tried to be nice in return.

His day started to go downhill, however, when Arabella Figg called to say that she had broken her leg and couldn't take Harry for the day while the Dursleys went out to celebrate. Dudley had instantly thrown a tantrum, wailing to try and get sympathy from their parents, much to Roisin's exasperation. She wasn't above using the same trick herself when necessary, but she was at least realistic about it, and used tantrums as a last resort. How nobody noticed that Dudley was faking, Roisin had no idea. Besides, it was unseemly, and everyone knew how much the Dursley's valued appearances.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, Dudley's friend Piers Polkiss and Roisin's friend Lorna turned up before the Dursleys could find an acceptable solution of what to do with Harry.

So, for the first time, Harry found himself accompanying the Dursleys on an outing, albeit with a standing cupboard-threat if anything funny were to happen.

Their time at the zoo was enjoyable, and went by with no strange incidents (unless one counted Dudley's occasional tantrum, but that was routine) until they reached the reptile house. Roisin and Lorna were comparing an Australian Black Snake to a desert viper (seventeen out of Australia's twenty native snakes were poisonous, and the two girls drifted into a discussion on if there might be Australian native wildlife that _wasn't_ dangerous) when they heard Piers yelling, and spun around just in time to see the glass in the Boa Constrictor case suddenly disappearing and the snake taking the opportunity to escape, gliding past a shocked Harry and out the door, snapping at Piers and Dudley's heels as it slithered past.

The trip ended rather quickly after that.

 

The five children were rushed out of the zoo, with Piers and Dudley insisting the whole way that they had nearly been killed, while Roisin rolled her eyes at the dramatics. She did that a lot, but Dudley really needed to stop being such a drama-king.

Unfortunately for all concerned, Piers managed to calm down enough to say that Harry had been talking to the Boa Constrictor. Roisin shared a pained wince with her cousin, and then went back to being amused at her brother's over-dramatic discomfort.

* * *

It was the Summer Holidays by the time Harry's punishment was let up, and all three children were filled with both anticipation and apprehension at the thought of starting different schools.

Roisin would be attending a girl's Grammar School that both Petunia and her maternal grandmother had attended, and would be alone for the first time in her life, as most of her friends were going to either Public or at least less expensive schools.   
Dudley was destined for Vernon's Alma Mater, Smeltings, and Harry was going to the local comprehensive, Stonewall High.

As with all new schools, there had been a fuss about the uniforms. Roisin had complained that her new uniform looked like something out of a convent or the Victorian Era, with an ankle-length skirt and high-necked blouse, and knee-length coat for winter. Then she saw what Harry and Dudley would be wearing, and shut up.   
Harry's uniform was nothing more than some of Dudley's old clothing, tie-dyed grey. The size difference made it look a lot like bits of old elephant skin, but even that wasn't as much of an eyesore as Dudley's uniform of a maroon tailcoat, orange knickerbockers and a flat straw boater hat. Overall, the sight of her twin had sent Roisin dashing to her room and laughing herself sick.

 

Then, not long before Harry's birthday, everything went to hell in a hand basket.

It had started when Harry was sent to get the mail after a short argument with Dudley, and returned with two parchment letters that sent Vernon's face through a very interesting cycle of colours before he threw the children out of the room. Dudley and Harry promptly had a furious but silent fight over who listened at the key-hole.

Roisin ignored them and got to the keyhole while they scuffled, listening to her parents in a panicked discussion that may as well have been spoken in Greek for all the sense it made. Something about 'not having one in the house' and 'might be watching'.

Things didn't stop there, however.

Harry was moved out of the cupboard and into the hastily converted study, but the letters kept coming.

On Wednesday, Dudley was made to get the post, and again returned with two letters. There was a race to get into the hall and at the letters. Vernon had to wrestle with Dudley to get the letters, made considerably harder by Harry and Roisin swinging from his neck. Everyone got hit a lot by the Smeltings Stick, but Vernon emerged victorious, if very winded, and that was the end of those letters.

On Thursday, Vernon slept at the front door to prevent anyone sneaking down for early mail. Roisin had anticipated this and let Harry or her brother take the risk. If they succeeded, she would retrieve hers later. If they failed, she would not get the blame. The rest of the family was back to being stiff and formal with her as it was, and this timeit wasn't even her fault. More letters arrived, and her father nailed the mail-slot shut.

On Friday, it became apparent that who-ever these people were, they were serious. No fewer than twelve letters arrived, obviously not caring that the letter-box had been nailed shut. The letters were pushed under the door, through the side, and even through the small window in the downstairs bathroom that nobody used. Vernon nailed all of those shut, too, and started jumping at small noises.

Roisin made as many small noises as possible, hoping to make him nervous enough that he would give her the next letter, just to make her stop.

On Saturday, twenty-four letters arrived, rolled up inside each of the two dozen eggs that a very confused milk-man had slid to Petunia through the living-room window. Petunia had let out another of her ear-splitting screams at the discovery, and Vernon had made furious calls to the dairy, the post office and anywhere else that he could think of, trying to find someone to complain to.

They were sitting down to breakfast on Sunday, Roisin trying not to point out that her father was spreading marmalade on the newspaper, when a multitude of letters came streaming down the chimney. Roisin dived to the floor, managing to grab a letter as she rolled under the table. From the corner of her eye, she saw Harry leaping in the air for one, only to be grabbed by her father and thrown out of the room. Roisin quickly stuffed the letter down the side of her skirt, made sure it was covered by her shirt, and scrambled after the rest of her family, deciding to read the letter at a later point, when she had some privacy.

Privacy, however, would be a long time in coming.

* * *

Roisin's father was in a full-blown panic, her mother not much better, packing everyone's bags and hustling them all into the car.

Roisin really wished that the new company car had been something sensible, like a Toyota, rather than a very squashed sports car, as they took off at high speed. Every so often, Vernon would double back for several miles, before resuming the previous route. Other times, he would drive into a large field in the middle of nowhere, get out and look around, then get back in and continue driving.

Roisin was beginning to have serious concerns for her father's mental health.

 

Roisin's chance to read the letter came when they eventually stopped for the night at a seedy motel next to a railroad.

Vernon had insisted that no-one go anywhere alone, even visiting the communal bathrooms in pairs. Roisin solved the privacy problem by grabing Harry and the letter and heading for the bathroom. 

Standing next to the wash basins, the two examined the letter. It was made of heavy yellow parchment, with a red wax seal depicting a lion, a badger, an eagle and a snake, with a large H in the center. Breaking the seal revealed a letter in flowing green script. Looking over it, Roisin read out loud: " _'Dear Miss O'Conner,'_ " had theletter been delivered to the wrong person? O'Conner had been her Grandmother's name before her marriage to Frank Dursley, but that was the only connection Roisin could think of. Oh, well, she would finish reading the letter anyway. _"'...you have been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…_ '"

There was more, but her father had been passing by and burst in roaring. Not even looking at the name, he grabbed the parchment and tore it to shreds.

Dragging both of them back to the room, he spent a good quarter hour yelling, then went back to mumbling about how "they'd never find us here".

He was wrong.

The next morning, they were woken up by the manager, who was looking for the addressees of the hundred or so letters that had been left down at reception. Whoever was writing to them might be a special brand of crazy, Roisin decided, but they had to be given credit for persistence.

Once Vernon had disposed of the letters, this time making sure that Harry and Roisin stayed locked in the room the entire time, they were on the road again.

They followed the same pattern as yesterday, with the exception of Vernon stopping at a small store and returning with a bulky package. Roisin was starting to worry about her own mental health if she had to put up with much more of her brother's moaning.

That evening, they ended up rowing to a tiny island on the sea. Vernon was convinced that no-one would ever find them there. Rationally, Roisin agreed with him. On the other hand, the letter-senders had known their location right down to the motel room. Barely stopping herself from pointing this out, Roisin only said that if this didn't stop them, nothing would.

* * *

Of course, it turned out to be the second option. At exactly midnight, someone started banging on the doors with all the force of a battering ram. Dudley sat up with a jolt from his bed on the couch. Roisin fell off the reclining chair that she had been lying on. Vernon and Petunia came skidding in from the bedroom, Vernon wielding a gun and shouting.

There was a pause, then the door was literally knocked off its hinges, revealing a huge figure filling the doorway, outlined against the storm.

 

 

 

 


	3. What Do You Mean, Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there are many confusing explanations

 

A huge, giant of a man stood in the doorway, looking quite fearsome. His beard and long, shaggy hair were wild and tangled, and his eyes glimmered like black beetles.  
  
Vernon, Petunia and Dudley stood frozen, trembling in fear.  
  
Roisin was still half asleep, her mind still too blurred to register the shock that she should be feeling.  
  
Harry wanted to know what was going on.  
  
The giant ducked his head to get into the hut, and then turned to pick up the door and set it back on its hinges. The noise of the storm outside dropped somewhat. He turned to look at them. "Couldn't make us a cup of tea, could yeh? Been a long journey…"  
  
Roisin shook her head at Harry from behind the man's back, still in shock at how surreal everything was. An entrance like that, and he expected any of them to be in a condition to make tea! She started moving toward Harry as the man stumped over to the couch, where Dudley remained, unmoving. "Budge up, ye great lump."  
  
Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind Petunia, who still cowered behind Vernon. Roisin rolled her eyes. Would it kill her family to show a little backbone every once in a while? Sure, if she had been even a bit more aware and less shocked, she probably would have beaten her brother to the hiding place, but there was no need to let this man know about it! That was the first rule of danger; stay calm and don't show that you are scared.  
  
Ignoring the rest of the hut's occupants, the giant turned his attention toward Harry. "Last time I saw you, you was only a baby. You look a lot like your dad, but you have your mum's eyes."  
  
In the corner, Vernon made a funny noise, but seemed to pull himself together. "I demand that you leave at once, sir! You are breaking and entering!"  
  
Well, it was nice to see that her father wasn't a _total_  coward, but somehow, Roisin didn't think that yelling at the stranger would be all that beneficial to _anyone_ 's continued good health. The giant seemed to like Harry, though, so Roisin started edging around to hide behind  _him._  
  
Either way, the stranger remained less than intimidated, jerking the gun out of Vernon's hands and twisting it into a pretzel. "Ah, shut up, Dursley, ya great prune."  
  
Roisin's father made another funny noise. Roisin wondered if she was the only one who thought it sounded like a mouse being trodden on.  
  
The giant turned back to Harry. "Anyway – Harry, a very happy birthday to yeh. Got something for yeh, here, too."  
  
Roisin felt her stomach let out a growl at the sight of a large, sticky chocolate cake, reminding her of how long it had been since her last proper meal. Still, she hoped someone would have the sense to find out who the stranger was before eating anything.  
  
Apparently, Harry might have been thinking along the same lines, because he looked down at the cake, then back up at the giant. "Who are you?"  
  
The giant chuckled. Roisin thought it sounded a bit like distant thunder, but that could have been the storm outside. "True, I haven't introduced myself. Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."  
  
Hogwarts! That was the name of the school in the letters! Roisin focused her full attention back to Hagrid, who had just finished talking. He looked at the fireplace, still holding last evening's pathetic attempts at a fire, and snorted in disgust. Leaning over the fireplace, he did something, and a blazing fire roared to life. Roisin barely managed not to let out a coo of delight at the warmth that spread through the hut, then blinked at the number of things that Hagrid began to take out of his pockets. A kettle, a packet of sausages, a poker, a tea pot, and the list went on.  
  
Still in a state of shock, no one said anything while the man cooked, although Dudley fidgeted slightly when the first sausages were slid off the poker, despite Vernon's warnings.  
  
Harry and Roisin, the latter too far away for her parents to stop her and too hungry to really care, however, pounced on the food as Hagrid chuckled. "Yer great puddin' of a son don't need any more fattening up, Dursley."  
  
True, but there was no need to say it. Putting her second sausage down, Roisin frowned sternly at the giant. Finally, when it became obvious that no-one was going to explain anything, Harry spoke up again. "Sorry, but I still don't know who you are."  
  
Hagrid laughed again. "Call me Hagrid, everyone does. Like I said, I'm keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Yeh know all about Hogwarts, of course."  
  
Roisin rolled her eyes. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. If they had known about Hogwarts, they would have had a proper idea of why they were being dragged all over the bloody country. Harry was a bit more diplomatic. "Er… no. Sorry."  
  
Hagrid looked shocked, glaring at the other three Dursleys, who backed away quickly. "Sorry! It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters, but I never thought yeh wouldn't know about Hogwarts! Didn't yeh wonder where yer parents learnt it all?"  
  
Harry and Roisin leaned forward eagerly. "Learned all what?"  
  
Hagrid's expression changed from shock to fury. The Dursleys scurried into a corner. Roisin dodged when they tried to pull her with them. Hiding behind Harry seemed a lot safer, at the moment. "ALL WHAT? Now wait jus' one second!" He glared at Vernon. "Do you mean ter tell me that these two – that Harry Potter – know nothing about…about anythin'!"  
  
Roisin drew herself up in indignation. All right, so she wasn't top of the class, but she wasn't stupid either! Harry appeared to be thinking the same thing. "I know some things. I can do maths and stuff!"  
  
Hagrid waved that off. "About our world, I mean. I don't believe Ms O'Conner never told yeh. Your world, my world. Yer parents' world."  
  
"What world?"  
  
What did her Nana, who had moved back to her family and her maiden name after Grandfather died, have to do with this? Seeing Hagrid's face, Roisin decided to ask that later and prudently took a step away from her family and behind Harry. Hagrid looked ready to explode. "Dursley!"  
  
Vernon muttered something that sounded like "mimblewimble". He had gone whiter than a sheet. Hagrid stared at Harry, voice lowering to a whisper. "But yeh must know about yer mum and dad. I mean, they're famous. You're famous."  
  
Roisin frowned. That made no sense, given her parents obsession with popularity. If Aunt Lily had been famous, her mother would have been bragging about it to Heaven and back, wouldn't she? Harry blinked in surprise. "My parents weren't famous, were they?"  
  
Hagrid ran a hand through his bushy hair. "Yeh don't know… Yeh don't know who yeh are?"  
  
Vernon seemed to recover his courage. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell him anything!"  
  
Roisin shook her head. It was nice to see that her father did have the occasional bit of backbone, but couldn't he at least try to choose a time that was less likely to get him killed? Even so, she didn't think anyone could stand up to the furious look that Hagrid had just levelled at him. When he spoke, his voice trembled with rage. "Yeh never told him? Never told him what was in the letter? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it for him! And yeh kept it from him all these years?"  
  
Harry leaned forward again. "Kept what from me?"  
  
Petunia's horrified gasp was audible even over Vernon's panicked shout. "Stop! I forbid you!"  
  
Hagrid growled. "Ah, go an' boil yer heads, both of yeh. Harry, yer a wizard."  
  
Except for the noise of wind and sea, the hut was dead silent. Roisin blinked. That probably made her a witch, then. No wonder her family had been so worked up about the letters! Assuming that this wasn't an elaborate hoax with some incredible smoke-and-mirrors work, this was so far away from normal that it wasn't even funny!  
  
The silence was broken by Harry's gasp. "I'm a what?"  
  
Hagrid sat back down on the couch, which groaned under his weight. "A wizard. And a right good one, once yer trained up a bit. With a mum and dad like yours, what else could yeh be? Now it's past time you read yer letter. Yeh too, girl."  
  
He handed Harry a letter, nearly identical to the one that Roisin had nearly read back at the Motel. Roisin ignored the 'girl' and accepted her letter. Opening it, she read aloud, keeping an amused eye on her family's faces.  
  
"Won't this be interesting to read…?  
 _'HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY,_ _Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore,_ _(Order of Merlin, First Class…)'_  
  
yada yada yada. Lot of titles there. Let's see…' _Dear Miss O'Conner,_ _You have been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a full list of books and equipment necessary. Term begins on_ _September 1st. We await your owl no later that July_ _31st_  
  
 _Sincerely_ , _Minerva_ _McGonagall_ , _Deputy_ _Headmistress_.'"  
  
Roisin slowly folded up the letter. That really was interesting. Questions flew through her mind. Why were they using her grandmother's maiden name in the address, instead of Roisin's birth surname? Was this all just some bizarre dream? Dimly, she heard Harry ask what the letter meant by 'await you owl', and Hagrid pulling a rather rumpled owl out of his pocket, writing a quick note, and throwing it out into the storm.  
  
He came back over as Vernon managed to recover his voice. "They'll not be going!"  
  
Roisin narrowed her eyes. The Hell she wouldn't! This sounded way cooler than a stuffy old grammar school, magic or no magic! She started calculating how much was in the account her parents had set up for her and Dudley when they were little, vs the probable cost of school fees. Term was still two months away, so her parents could probably still get a refund on alarge portion of the fees they already paid... 

Hagrid snorted, interrupting her chain of thought. "I'd like to see a great Muggle like you try and stop them."  
  
Muggle? What was a Muggle? Harry vocalized the question. "A Muggle, Harry, is what we call non-magic folk. And it's yer bad luck that yeh grew up in a family of the biggest muggles I ever laid eyes on, 'cept for yer cousin."  
  
"We swore when we took him in that we'd put a stop to that nonsense!" There was a definite note of hysteria in Vernon's voice. "Swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard, indeed!"  
  
Hold it, they'd known about all this? "You knew?" Harry and Roisin spoke as one. "You knew I'm a Wizard / Witch?"  
  
Petunia finally tired of holding her tongue. She started shrieking at Harry, ignoring her daughter completely. Ah, denial. Such a familiar tactic. "Knew? Knew? Of course we knew! How could you not be, by dratted sister being what she was! She got a letter just like yours and went off to that school, and came back every holiday, pockets filled with frogspawn, turning teacups into rats! I was the only one who saw her for the freak she was! But my mother and father, oh no! It was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud to have a witch in the family!"  
  
She took a deep breath as Roisin tried to shake the ringing out of her ears. Wishing her mother would use a lower decibel, she muttered sarcastically, "Don't hold it in or anything, Mum. Let it out."  
  
Petunia had obviously wanted to say all this for years, and didn't need her daughter's encouragement. "Then she met that Potter at school and she left and got married and had _you_ , and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as abnormal as she was. Then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you! Now you've gone and rubbed off on my poor daughter! I'm sure she could have skipped it if not for you!"  
  
Not for the first time, Roisin marvelled at her mother's gift for denial. Just because they blamed Harry for bad weather didn't mean that Roisin hadn't done some pretty abnormal things herself. Harry, meanwhile, had gone very white. "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"  
  
Roisin winced in apprehension as Hagrid leapt to his feet. "Car crash? A car crash kill Lily and James Potter? It's an outrage! Harry Potter not knowing his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"  
  
Harry interrupted before the giant man could really get going. "But why? What happened?"  
  
The anger drained from Hagrid's face. "I never expected this. They told meh there might be some trouble gettin' hold of yeh, but Dumbledore never said how much yeh wouldn't know. Ah, Harry, I'm probably not the right one to tell yeh, but yeh can't go off to Hogwarts not knowing."  
  
He gave the Dursleys another nasty look. They scuttled back into their corner. Roisin stole a less-mouldy blanket off the couch and tugged Harry down next to her as Hagrid told them of a Wizard named Voldemort, who had risen, styled himself a Dark Lord, and tried to take over the Wizarding World, killing anyone who tried to oppose him. How Hogwarts was one of the only safe places left, Dumbledore the only person that Voldemort feared. How Aunt Lily and her husband James were part of those few who stood up to him, and how they managed to get on Voldemort's hit list. How Voldemort had come to the Potter's house when Harry was only a year old, intent on killing them, and how Harry had somehow survived, destroying Voldemort in the process.  
  
Well, that was certainly enough to make someone famous. Roisin slipped an arm around her cousin, who looked as though he was reliving a nightmare. Hagrid looked at them sadly. "Took yeh from the ruined house meself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh to this ruddy lot."  
  
"Load of old tosh." Roisin and Harry jumped, having almost forgotten the other three presences in the room. Vernon had apparently rebuilt some of his courage. "Now look here, boy. I'll admit that there's something strange about you – probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured – and about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them, in my opinion."  
  
Roisin sighed, was her father trying to get himself killed? Heedless, Vernon went on. "Asked for all they got, getting mixed up with all those wizardly types. Just what I expected, always knew that they'd come to a sticky end –"  
  
Hagrid jumped up, pointing his umbrella at Vernon. "I'm warning you, Dursley. Just one more word…"  
  
The prospect of being skewered seemed to knock some sense back into Vernon. He shut up. Harry spoke up. "But what happened to Voldemort? Sorry, to You-Know-Who?"  
  
Hagrid shrugged "Nobody knows, Harry. He just vanished. Some say he died. Same night he tried to kill you. Makes yeh even more famous."  
  
That did sound very impressive. Harry, however, was not convinced. "Hagrid, there must be some mistake. I can't be a wizard. I'm just Harry."  
  
Roisin wished her cousin would stop trying to deny it. When Hagrid asked if Harry had ever made something happen, Roisin decided that she had been quiet long enough. "Well, there was those incidents with the wig and the roof. And the snake at the zoo."  
  
Harry gave his cousin a look. "What about the paint-pot and changing the colour of your room? You can't tell me that was normal!"  
  
Roisin shrugged. "I'm not the one trying to deny my apparent abilities. I wonder what else we could do."  
  
Hagrid was beaming. "See? Harry Potter not a wizard. I bet you'll be right famous at Hogwarts, you'll see."  
  
Vernon interrupted. "Haven't I told you they'll not be going? Roisin has an acceptance to Our Lady of Grace! The boy'll be going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it! If he goes to that school he'll need all sorts of rubbish! Spell books and wands and…"  
  
Hagrid cut him off. A good thing, as it saved Roisin from doing something drastic, like throwing a rare tantrum to rival Dudley's best. "If they want to go, a great Muggle like you won't stop them. Stop Lily and James Potter's son from going to Hogwarts? And a scion of the O'Conner Clan! Yer mad! They'll be going to the finest school of magic in the world! They'll be with youngsters of their own sort, and be learning under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had, Albus Dumbledore!"  
  
This apparently drove Vernon over the edge. "I am not paying for some crackpot old fool to teach them magic tricks!"  
  
That apparently drove Hagrid over the edge. He pointed the umbrella at Vernon again, each word slow and clear with anger. "Never-insult-Albus-Dumbledore-in-front-of-me."  
  
Roisin scrambled to her feet as the umbrella moved to point at Dudley. Yes, he was a bullying jerk, but he was still her twin. She was too late, however, as there was a flash of light and a squeal, and her brother was now sporting a curling, pink pig's tail!  
  
Vernon, Petunia and Dudley all screamed, fleeing into the bedroom and slamming the door. Roisin took a few steps after them, then shrugged and settled back onto her bench. They couldn't do anything until morning, and she was hell to live with when she didn't get enough sleep. Besides, the sound of scraping furniture suggested that the door was barricaded by now, so she wouldn't be getting in either way.

 

 

 

 


	4. Meetings in Diagon Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things are discovered and friendships are formed

 

Fionna Dursley O'Conner, who had reclaimer her maiden name after her husband's death, was a woman well into her seventies.  
  
Despite this, she remained as vibrant and energetic as a woman of several decades younger. She was also an Irish-born red-head, with all the characteristics that this suggested.  
  
As of right now, Fionna was also contemplating the dignity of dancing with sheer joy at the news she had just received. Her grand-daughter was a witch!  
  
She had suspected, of course, there had been signs when little Roisin had been growing up, but with her son's fixation on Normality, born at least partially from a desire to fit in with his family as a child, and her daughter-in-law's trauma after the death of her sister at the hands of a Dark Wizard, she had started to worry. Oh, Harry Potter would be fine; after defeating a Dark Lord, ten years in a non-magical environment would be nothing, even if it was clear that Vernon and Petunia favoured their own children more.

Perhaps Fionna should have talked with them about that, but she had never managed to think of a way to do so that wouldn't sound as though she was encouraging them to favour Harry for something he didn't remember, and settled for having a sharp word with her daughter, Marge, when her favouritism went too far.  
  
Of course, the announcement of Roisin's magical abilities also meant that it was time for a little chat with the girl. It was Roisin that Fionna was concerned about; despite the differences, Roisin loved her family, and Fionna worried that she might deny her magical heritage to please them. She needed to know the rest of her family history before she went off to Hogwarts, even if only as proof that she wouldn't be alone if she chose to follow the magic that was hers by birthright.  
  
Petunia rarely talked about her side of the family, in fact both she and Vernon were perfectly content to ignore that Petunia's parents and sister had even existed. Perhaps that was because her parents had been so fascinated with Lily's magic, and Petunia would be far from the first person to avoid talking about painful memories. The Dursley line was Normal to the point of Depressing, with the occasional exception. One such exception was Fionna's husband, and by extension Fionna herself.  
  


* * *

Fionna had been born in Northern Ireland, the youngest daughter of the Chieftain of the prominent, but very secluded O'Conner Clan.  
  
What was not generally known, was that the reason the Clan was so secluded, was because they were entirely magical, even those who married into the Clan. Fionna could admit to herself that their exclusivity was more than a bit prejudiced, but justified it by reminding herself that it was for the Clan's own protection.  
  
When she was very young, barely three or four, Fionna and several of the Clan's youngest children had been sent to England to escape the brewing Civil War. When she was eight, the children of the clan returned to Ireland, but to a Clan that had lost several of it's members, including Fionna's parents.  
  
The O'Conner Clan had a tradition of at least one child of the ruling family being sent to Hogwarts. None of her siblings had elected to go, so three years after her return, Fionna had been sent to Hogwarts, making quite a name for herself as an intelligent and powerful witch.  
  
A few years after Fionna's graduation, the Muggle World War II broke out, taking place at the same time as the rise of the Dark Lord Grindewald. Loving very little more than a good fight, many of the O'Conner Clan joined the fight with great enthusiasm, along with a large portion of their countrymen.  
  
It was during this war that Fionna met and fell in love with a Muggle-born soldier by the name of Frank Dursley, despite the scandal it would cause amongst her family, normally resulting in the offender being cast out.  
  
It was also during this war, that two-thirds of the O'Conner Clan was wiped out by a stray bomb while on an extended tour of their lands, to see where the Wards needed upgrading.  
  
Because of this, the Clan was willing to ignore Frank's Muggle blood to the extent of allowing Fionna to officially stay in the Clan, and to accept any Magical decedents.  
  
Fionna moved back to England with her new love, where they married and had two children, Vernon and Marge. Much to her dismay, neither child showed any sign of Magic, and then Frank had died not long after Marge's birth, leaving no real buffer between the children and the rest of the Depressingly Normal Dursleys. Fionna did her best, but she was very much out-numbered, and her mother-in-law, the family Matriach, was far from a push-over.

If Fionna had loved Frank even a little less, she would never have put up with his intolerant and intolerable family, and her grief over her husband's death sent her spiralling into a depression gave them the opportunity to shoulder their way into her children's formative years. It wasn't until Vernon was nearing the end of Secondary school that Fionna managed to fully shoulder her husband's kin out of their lives.   
  
When you added in the secrecy laws of the Magical World, it was no real surprise that both children grew up with no knowledge of magic, Vernon marrying a Muggle woman who was as intent on being Normal as he was. Fionna sometimes wondered if it was good or bad that Marge showed no interest in marriage or motherhood.  
  
Fionna still kept in occasional contact with her family, however, and had joyfully written to them in 1981 with the news that Roisin was showing signs of being a witch. The accidental magic was nothing spectacular, but it was there.  
  
Since then, she had treasured her Grand-daughter, nurturing her creative imagination with stories and legends of Magic. Perhaps she should have paid more attention to young Harry, as well, but he would have enough people fawning over him when he recieved his letter and returned to the Wizarding World.  
  
Now she knew for certain, and had confirmed it through a discussion with her old school friend, Minerva McGonagall, when the Deputy Headmistress had flooed her in exasperation and asked if she could please do something about her stubborn off-spring constantly ignoring the Hogwarts letters.  
  
Listening to her friend rant, Fionna had thought that she would have paid good money to have seen her son's reaction to the letters. She had promised that if Hagrid failed, then Fionna would track down her family and force feed them the letter's contents. Her son had never taken well to having his plans thwarted, but everyone had a part of their inner child that listened to Mother.

Thankfully, Hagrid had not failed, and Fionna was preparing to meet her Grand-daughter and great-nephew-in-law at Diagon Alley.  
  


* * *

Hagrid led Harry and Roisin into a small pub called the Leaky Cauldron, keeping a firm hold on Roisin, who had tried to detour into the large bookshop next door.  
  
Upon entering the pub, Harry and Roisin received the shock of their lives. The small space was filled with people of all shapes and sizes, some not even looking quite human. All wore particularly strange clothing, or what were probably wizarding robes.  
  
The barman recognized Hagrid, who was admittedly somewhat hard to miss, and called out to him. Hagrid shook his head. "Can't, Tom. Hogwarts business, taking Harry to get his school things."  
  
Both Harry and Roisin wished that he had kept to a lower decibel when the entire pub went dead silent.  
  
The next thing they knew, there was a scraping of chairs, and every customer in the place was crowding around trying to shake Harry's hand. Kicking and shoving in an attempt to stay on her feet, Roisin was nearly swept under before she felt herself levitated over the crowd and floating toward a very familiar older woman with red hair and a frown directed at Hagrid.  
  
Roisin was set back on her feet and instantly threw herself into her grandmother's arms. Fionna's face softened into a smile and she hugged the girl as Hagrid finally managed to extract Harry from the mob's clutches.  
  
The small group made their way out to the back of the pub into an alley, where Hagrid started counting bricks above the trashcans. Much to the children's surprise, the wall melted away to reveal a bustling street filled with people, the vast majority dressed like the witches and wizards in the pub.  
  
This time, at least, Hagrid had the wisdom to not, announce their presence, so they quickly made their way to a large building in the middle of the alley. It was Gringotts, the bank that Hagrid had told them about earlier that day.  
  
Looking at the golden gates, Roisin noticed the inscription there, a small but very ominous poem warning potential thieves not to try anything. Happily imagining if they would see the "more than treasure" that the rhyme spoke of, Roisin did a small double-take at the sight of a small, ugly-looking creature with sharp fangs guarding the doors. So that was a goblin.  
  
Inside, there were goblins weighing, measuring, stamping packages, and all manner of things. Fionna firmly took Roisin's hand and looked up at Hagrid. "You take Harry, I'll take Roisin. I don't like those cart rides and the less time it takes, the better."  
  
Hagrid nodded in agreement and made his way to a goblin teller. Roisin and her grandmother went to another, shorter line. As they waited, Fionna began explaining how things worked. "There are three types of coins in Wizarding currency. There are the gold galleons, silver sickles, and bronze knuts. A galleon is worth seventeen sickles, and a sickle is worth twenty-nine knuts. You'll get the hang of it soon enough."  
  
Roisin nodded. "How am I going to pay for Hogwarts, Nana? You can't honestly tell me that Mum or Dad will be willing to open a school account for me."  
  
Fionna laughed. "No, I have to admit that my son has shown something of a disappointment in his antipathy for this World. The O'Conner clan is a very old and prominent wizarding family, and they didn't completely disown me when I married your grandfather. Not very keen on Muggles, you see. They thought I was marrying beneath me. But our clan was almost wiped out during the Second World War, so the current Clan Head is willing to ignore the generation of Muggle blood and accept you as part of the Clan. In cases like this, the wishes of the magical relatives take precedence over those of your Muggle relatives."  
  
Roisin nodded in understanding. "Then that's why my Hogwarts letter was addressed to Miss O'Conner, instead of Miss Dursley. So it's all being paid for by the Clan?"  
  
Fionna nodded. "Technically, it should have been Dursley-O'Conner, family name and Clan name, but no matter. I wrote my family as soon as you told me about the incident in your art class, telling them about you. Then I called in a favor with an old friend to get you enrolled. The Clan set up an account for if you were accepted. If you weren't, the money would have reverted to the main vault."  
  
They were at the teller booth now. Fionna produced a golden key from her purse and handed it to the goblin, "School trust fund for Roisin O'Conner, Vault 409."  
  
The goblin carefully inspected the key, and then signaled for another goblin. "Narchak will take you down to the Vaults."  
  
They followed Narchak through a door and down a stone corridor lit with blazing torches until they reached what looked like a small railway. They got into a small cart and went shooting off into the tunnels at high speed. Roisin's long hair flew out behind her as she leaned over the front of the cart. This was fun! Fionna shut her eyes, gripping the seat tightly.  
  
Eventually, they screeched to a stop outside a small door in the passage wall. Opening the door with the golden key revealed a more than generous amount of gold, silver and bronze coins. Sweeping several of each into a small money-bag, they exited the vault and went on another lightning-fast cart ride back up to the surface.  
  
Exiting into the main lobby, Fionna discreetly handed her granddaughter a hairbrush. Roisin took it, reminding herself to tie her hair up next time she visited Gringotts. The cart ride may have been fun, but it was hell on the hair.  
  
Walking out of the bank, Fionna pulled out the list of things that Roisin would need for Hogwarts. "We'll go to Flourish and Blotts first, dear. That's the book shop. Hopefully we'll be able to pick up some extra reading to help you get a better grip on how the Magical world works."  
  
The book shop was filled with people, also doing their Hogwarts shopping. Fighting their way through the crowd, the two of them managed to locate _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), a History of Magic, Magical Theory, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Magical Drafts and Potions_ and _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection._  
  
Fionna also tracked down _Hogwarts: A History, Magical Families of Brittan and Ireland_ and _Wizardry Throughout the Ages_ , insisting that it would make things less confusing once she actually got to Hogwarts.  
  
After that, they temporarily split up, Fionna going to the Apocathary and a store aptly named "General and Random Equipment"for Roisin's potion supplies and other equipment, while Roisin headed for Madam Malkin's: Robes for All Occasions.  
  
After a short wait, a harried looking assistant ushered her over to a stool, slipped a robe over her head, and began pinning it to the right length, taking measurements as she went along.  
  
The stool next to Roisin was occupied by a girl about her age, apparently affected by a chronic inability to stay still for over a minute. The assistant seeing to her looked on the verge of killing someone, only stopping herself at the knowledge of all the commissions she would lose.  
  
Making another valiant effort to stay still, the girl turned to Roisin. "Hi, I'm Desdemona Moon. Are you going to Hogwarts too?"  
  
Someone needed to cut this girl's sugar intake. "Roisin Dursley-O'Conner. Yes, I'll be a first-year."  
  
Desdemona's eyes lit up and she bounced on her chair, drawing what sounded like a growl from the assistant. "Me too! Any relation to the O'Conner clan? Mother said that one of them was supposed to be starting this year."  
  
Roisin nodded. "Fionna O'Conner is my Grandmother, but my dad's a squib, so she's bringing me for my supplies."  
  
Desdemona gave her a sympathetic look. "You poor thing. Don't worry, just stick with me and I'll show you the ropes. I wouldn't go around telling everyone that your parents are squibs, though. A lot of people think that it's even worse than being a Muggle-born."  
  
Roisin took note  of that, not wanting to be singled out as the odd kid out, but before she could ask why, the two assistants stood up. Desdemona's assistant looked like she was restraining herself from a celebratory dance, and instantly made for a door labelled ' _Staff Only'_  as the other assistant smiled at them and said "Well, there you are dears, all finished. Just go to the counter and they'll sort you out."  
  
In short order, they had paid for their robes, along with one or two non-uniform ones, and were out of the shop. Desdemona waved to a red-haired girl just as Fionna walked toward them, along with a stern-looking lady and a young boy who also looked around first-year age.  
  
Fionna smiled at Roisin. "Roisin, this is an old friend of mine, Augusta Longbottom, and her grandson, Neville. Augusta, this is my grand-daughter, Roisin."  
  
Roisin squashed the automatic urge to squirm as Mrs. Longbottom looked at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."  
  
Mrs. Longbottom nodded. "A very polite young lady. We will have to catch up together soon, Fionna. Come along Neville, we need to get your robes."  
  
The boy hurried after the old lady, shooting them an apologetic look. Fionna shook her head, and then took Roisin's hand again. "Come along, child. It's time to go choose your wand."  
  


* * *

Choosing wands, it turned out, was no where near as easy as it sounded.  
  
To start with, one had to deal with being shocked out of their skin by the wand-maker, Mr. Ollivander. After that, was the very disconcerting experience of literally being measured from head to toe.  
  
Then, you actually chose the wand.  
  
Roisin and Fionna were joined in the wand shop by Desdemona and the girl she had waved at, Susan Bones, who went to choose her wand first.  
  
The first wand Susan tried was willow and dragon heart-string; she waved it nervously. Roisin ducked as a vase flew through the air, narrowly missing her head. Straightening, she threw Susan a nasty look. Susan returned a slightly sheepish one, and tried a different wand.  
  
Several wands later, Susan settled on a ten inch birch and phoenix feather wand. Quickly paying, Susan waved good bye and ran to meet her aunt, promising to see them at Hogwarts.  
  
Then it was Roisin's turn.  
  
The first few wands were snatched out of her hand only seconds after she had raised them into the air. The ninth wand let out a loud bang, setting a chair cushion on fire.  
  
Twelve wands after that, a thirteen inch redwood and unicorn hair wand erupted in a shower of silver sparks, and Roisin sat down to wait for Desdemona.  
  
Desdemona was much quicker choosing her wand, trying only five or six before settling on a twelve inch oak and dragon heartstring one.  
  
Paying for their wands and exiting the shop, the two girls parted ways, promising to meet at the Hogwarts express.  
  
Fionna cast what she identified as a point me spell to locate Harry and Hagrid, and together they headed back to Privet Drive for a few short months before starting Hogwarts.  
  


 

 

 


	5. Journeys and Sortings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Journey to Hogwarts, the Sorting, and the start of things to come

 

The months between Diagon Alley and leaving for Hogwarts were not fun, but could hardly be called boring, either.  
  
Vernon and Petunia had tried to move Roisin in with Harry, to 'prevent further contamination', but had stopped when Dudley started spewing up slime at random intervals and Roisin could be found with her nose buried in a potions textbook. Finding out that your witch of a daughter was actually willing to use her gifts tended to put things in a much clearer perspective.

It had actually been an accident, with Roisin wanting to try a simple potion from what she assumed was the equivilent of a 'Chemistry for Kids' book that she had picked up on a second trip to the bookstore, and Dudley mistaking the resulting concoction for a soda while Roisin tried to find the proper disposal proceedure, other than dumping it on her mother's flower beds as petty revenge for the way her family was acting.  
  
Roisin was also now getting what she called the 'Harry Treatment', that is, Vernon and Petunia ignored her existence, and Dudley refused to stay in the same room as her.  
  
Harry was used to this treatment, and actually found it somewhat of an improvement over the Dursleys previous behavior. Roisin, on the other hand, was used to having her parents dote on her, and found it all very lonely and upsetting. She felt guilty about making Dudley spew slime, too, but she probably would have reacted faster if she hadn't been so upset at the unfairness of how they were treating her. No matter which side of the fence you were on IT WASN'T HER FAULT!

In light of this, Roisin had taken to going on long walks down to the nearest motel, where Fionna had quietly re-located herself to keep an eye on Roisin ever since the confrontation with Vernon about why Fionna showed no surprise at the mention of magic.  
  
It was Fionna who told her that as she technically didn't know yet that she wasn't allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts, now would be a good time to get in some practice  
  
Fionna told Roisin stories of her own days at Hogwarts, about the houses, about the ghosts (and poltergeist) and about the things that were best avoided.  
  
Roisin also kept in touch with Desdemona and Susan, promising to meet them on either the platform or the train to Hogwarts.  
  
As September 1st drew nearer, Roisin chose to let Harry deal with asking her parents for transport to Kings Cross. If they agreed, good, and she wouldn't have to interact with them any more than strictly necessary, and she didn't care if that made her seem petulent and sulky. If they refused, she would just ask her grandmother.

Luckily, that was not necessary, and soon their trunks were packed, ready for Hogwarts.  
  


* * *

September 1st dawned bright and clear.  
  
Vernon and Petunia had consented to take them to London, on their way to get Dudley's tail removed (Roisin still burst into guilty and totally inappropriate giggles thinking about it), even going so far as to unload their trunks and put them on a trolley. Roisin was starting to get a very bad feeling about something. Maybe they were feeling sorry about their actions toward her, but they were  _never_ this nice to Harry.  
  
She was proven right when her father looked back at the two of them, grinning nastily. "Well, well, well. Platform 9, Platform 10, but no Platform 9 ¾. Have a fun year."  
  
Roisin muttered something unrepeatable as the rest of the family drove off, laughing.  
  
Then they were left at Kings Cross, with the dilemma of being stuck at the station with no idea of how to get onto the platform.  
  
They only had half an hour, so it would be well past eleven before an owl could get to her grandmother and back, and Fionna was at a friend's for lunch, anyway.  
  
Susan and Desdemona were either on the way to or already at the station, which would make them difficult to owl, since you had to give the owl actual directions, and Hedwig didn't seem to like her much.  
  
Harry finally suggested asking the Station-Master. Roisin gave him a flat look. "There is no way that is going to work. We don't know where the platform is or where in the country Hogwarts is located, and we're magical! What makes you think he'll know?"  
  
Harry frowned at her and went to ask anyway. Roisin sat down on her trolley to wait for him.  
  
Sure enough, the guard Harry approached only looked cross and wanted to know if Harry thought he was being funny. Harry started to walk back to the trolleys, where Roisin waited with an I-told-you-so look, when a plump woman surrounded by a gaggle of red-haired boys and a girl, obviously her children, walked by. "Packed with muggles, as usual…"  
  
That certainly caught his attention. Only magical folk referred to normal people as muggles, as far as he knew. He waved Roisin over as the second-to-last boy disappeared somehow, leaving only the girl and a tall, gangly boy around Harry's age. Oh, well, now or never… "Excuse me, ma'am?"  
  
Roisin came up behind him as the woman turned around. "Oh, hello dear. Hogwarts too?"  
  
Roisin stayed quiet as Harry replied the affirmative. "Yes. See, we don't know how to…"  
  
The woman nodded in understanding. "How to get onto the platform? Just run straight at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Don't be nervous."  
  
Now why would they be nervous about running straight at a brick wall? was Roisin's sarcastic thought as she took off, hearing the little girl wish Harry luck behind her.  
  
Bracing herself for impact, Roisin opened her eyes to see a bright red train and, judging by the number of owls and wizarding robes, a platform full of Hogwarts students and assorted family members.  
  
Snapping out of her awed daze, Roisin dodged out of the way just in time to miss being run over by Harry and the gangly boy.  
  
Catching sight of Desdemona, who was bouncing all over the place like the energizer bunny, Roisin let the boys off with a nasty look and headed over to her friend.  
  
Desdemona stood – sort of – next to a blonde girl, a tall boy, and two other boys who looked like walking definitions of the term 'thug'. Roisin noticed that Hyperactivity was apparently normal with her new friend, as none of the others seemed particularly concerned.  
  
Or at least, none of them looked disturbed or were backing away slowly.  
  
Waving Roisin over, Desdemona made the introductions. "Roisin, this is Pansy Parkinson," (the blonde girl) "Blaise Zabini," (the tall boy) "and these two here are Vincent Crabbe and Greg Goyle. Everyone, this is the girl I was telling you about, Roisin O'Conner."  
  
Pansy gave a welcoming smile. "Hi. Any relation to Fionna O'Conner?"  
  
Roisin nodded warily. The Clan hadn't given out details on why Fionna had left the Wizarding World, and Desdemona had suggested that she not mention her muggle heritage. "Grand-daughter. It's nice to meet you all."  
  
Blaise shot her a grin, white teeth contrasting sharply with his darker complexion. "You too. Come on, let's find a place to sit before all the compartments are gone."  
  
Sure enough, an empty compartment was hard to find. The problem was solved, however, when Crabbe and Goyle (Pansy had said to call them by their last names) had walked into a nearly empty compartment and evicted the two first years previously occupying it.  
  
Shortly after loading their trunks and settling down for the ride, the train started moving, and they were joined by Millicent Bulstrode and Theo Nott.  
  
Crabbe and Goyle left soon after that, when a blond boy by the name of Draco Malfoy showed up. Roisin didn't think much of her first impression of him, which was a spoilt rich brat that reminded her a bit too much of her brother. Thankfully, Draco didn't stick around for long, taking Crabbe and Goyle with him to annoy the rest of the train.  
  
As the train started to leave main London, Roisin pulled out her Herbology book, the only one she hadn't read. It was amazing how many common plants and flowers could be used in spells, potions and rituals!  
  
Blaise joined her and started a debate over violets verses lavender in calming potions, quickly drawing Millie into the discussion.  
  
Theo started a game of solitaire, and Pansy and Desdemona started looking through the latest edition of Witch Weekly. At least it was an improvement to having Desdemona bouncing off the walls.  
  
Around lunchtime, a witch came around with a food trolley, filled with things like pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes, chocolate frogs, and other things that Roisin had never even heard of.  
  
Fionna had warned Roisin against Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, and she saw no reason to contest that when Theo chose cayenne pepper and looked ready to shoot flames out of his mouth.  
  
The rest of the trip was mostly uneventful, disregarding the reappearance of Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, who came in complaining about Harry Potter's rejection and some Weasly's 'blasted piece of cat bait!'.  
  
Roisin thought that Malfoy really needed to shut up about the incident. He was starting to sound disturbingly like a jilted lover.  
  


* * *

It was starting to get dark when the announcement came that they would be at Hogsmeade Station in an hour.  
  
The first-years took this as a cue to change out of every-day clothing and into their new school robes. Smoothing a hand over the soft fabric of her new uniform, Roisin sat down with Pansy and Millicent to re-fix their hair. First impressions were very important.  
  
Desdemona leaned back on her seat. "How do you think we'll be sorted? I heard some older student's telling another first-year about how we have to wrestle a troll."  
  
Theo snorted in disgust. "You have got to be kidding. How is going up against a troll going to get us into a house?"  
  
Roisin snickered, looking up from braiding Pansy's hair. "I don't know. Nana was telling me about the Houses and general defining traits. Maybe the ones who charge in and attack the troll go to Gryffindor, House of the stupidly brave. Those who try to reason with the troll or comfort it into submission go to Hufflepuff, House of the gentle idiot peacemakers. Those who come up with a plethora of spells or knowledgeable facts that might help them find a weak spot go to Ravenclaw, House of the Bookish. Those who wait until the Troll is busy with someone else, then sneak around and shoot it in the back from a safe distance go to Slytherin, House of the clever and devious."  
  
Blaise fell off his seat, keeled over with laughter, just as the announcement came that they would be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes.  
  


* * *

The Hogwarts Express pulled to a stop at a small, dark station, and they joined the crowd of students pushing their way to the train doors.  
  
Piling onto the platform, they could see Hagrid calling the first years over to him, towering head, shoulders and upper torso over the rest of the crowd.  
  
Roisin caught a glimpse of Harry and the red-haired boy from the platform as she and the other first years followed Hagrid down a winding, slippery path, heavily shadowed on both sides.  
  
Finally, the path opened onto the shore of an enormous lake, and there was a collective 'Oooooh!' from the students as they had their first glimpse of Hogwarts.  
  
Perched on top of the high cliff that rose before them on the other side of the lake, its many windows shone with light, illuminating the castle's towers and spires against the backdrop of the starry night sky.  
  
Docked nearby was a fleet of little boats. Roisin joined Desdemona, Blaise and Theo, directing Goyle back over to Malfoy at Hagrid's cry of "No more'n four to a boat!"  
  
Once everyone was more or less settled in a boat, Hagrid took a last look around, checking for stragglers. "Everybody in? Right, forward!"  
  
The lake was as smooth as black glass as the little fleet of boats sailed across it, closer and closer to the cliff. Everyone ducked their heads at Hagrid's warning, and they passed through a curtain of ivy, down a dark tunnel, and into a huge lit cavern that seemed to serve as some kind of underground harbor.  
  
Everyone clambered out of the boats with only a few near dunkings, then up a shadowed passageway to emerge in front of Hogwarts. They walked up a small flight of stone steps, and stopped in front of the huge oak doors.  
  
Hagrid raised a fist and knocked three times on the carved wood.  
  


* * *

The doors opened immediately, revealing a stern faced witch with black hair, wearing emerald robes and glasses that somehow only made her seem even more intimidating. Roisin got the impression that she was much like Granny Fionna; gentle and loving to family and close friends, but crossing her could only be described as A Very Bad Idea. This must be Professor McGonagall.  
  
The professor opened the doors wide and led the first years into Hogwarts. The Entrance Hall was brightly lit with torches and candles, and big enough to fit Roisin's entire house several times over. A magnificent marble staircase led to the upper floors.  
  
A doorway to their right lead to the Great Hall, and Roisin could hear the sound of hundreds of voices as the rest of the school waited for them.  
  
Professor McGonagall led them across the floor and into a small chamber. The first years crowded in, standing somewhat closer to each other than they normally would. Glancing over at Blaise, Malfoy and Theo, Roisin recognized the expressions on their face. It was one that Dudley frequently wore when an authority figure showed up when his little gang was up to something and caught them in the act. The 'I'm-Absolutly-Terrified-But-I'll-Die-Before-Actually-Admitting-It-In-Public' look.  
  
Professor McGonagall called for their attention and started what sounded like a traditional welcoming speech. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The banquet will begin shortly, but first, you will all be sorted into your houses and take your seats at your House Table. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own great and noble history, and all have produced outstanding witches and wizards. While at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. You will sleep in your House Dormitories, take classes with your House Year mates, and your free time will be spent in your House Common Room. Through the year, your successes will earn you House Points, while any rule breaking will lose House Points."  
  
As the Professor spoke, Roisin had the feeling that Points would be the least of their problems if Professor McGonagall caught any of them breaking rules.  
  
Regardless of Roisin's thoughts, the woman continued. "At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup. I hope that you each are a credit to whichever House becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes. I suggest you take the time to straighten yourselves up while you wait. I will return when we are ready for you."  
  
Pansy looked about ready to faint with nerves as Professor McGonagall left the room. Other students took the Professor up on her suggestion, straightening cloaks and nervously asking the person next to them if they had anything on their faces.  
  
Roisin was desperately wishing for anything to happen to get her mind off her nerves, when several people screamed. Spinning around with a gasp, Roisin decided that she really needed to be careful what she wished for. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, a stream of about twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall and across the room. A girl with blonde pigtails practically dived out of the way as a ghost threatened to pass through her.  
  
The ghosts seemed to be arguing, a fat man in a friar's habit in heated discussion with a ghost in a 15th century nobleman's ruff and tights. The fat friar was speaking, apparently protesting on someone's behalf. "…Forgive and forget, I say. We ought to give him another chance…"  
  
The ghost with the ruff cut him off in exasperation. "My dear friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name, and he isn't really even a ghost! Oh! What are you lot doing here?"  
  
The ghosts had finally noticed the students. Ironically, many of the students looked like they would have preferred to remain ignored. The fat friar beamed at them. "New student's, I suppose? About to be sorted?"  
  
A few of the faster-recovering students nodded mutely.  
  
The friar beamed. "Excellent! Hope to see you in Hufflepuff. My old House, you know!"  
  
Roisin immediately resolved to not be in Hufflepuff. The friar was way too cheerful than could be healthy, ghost or otherwise.  
  
They were interrupted by Professor McGonagall's return. Giving the first years a final quick once over, the Deputy Headmistress instructed them to form a line and lead them into the Great Hall.  
  
Entering the Hall, Roisin barely held back a gasp of wonder. The room was lit by thousands of candles that floated above the four tables, set with golden plates and goblets. The rest of the student body sat at the tables, dotted here and there by the occasional ghost. At the front of the Hall was another table, where the teachers were seated.  
  
Trying to avoid the eyes looking at her, Roisin looked up, and stifled another gasp. Granny Fionna had mentioned that the ceiling was charmed to look like the sky outside, but even knowing that still made it hard to believe that the hall didn't just open out into the heavens.  
  
Roisin felt her nervousness return as the first years walked down between the two center tables, every eye in the Great Hall on them. They formed a line at the front of the Hall, facing the teacher's table. In front of them, Professor McGonagall placed a three legged stool and a pointed hat, dirty, patched and frayed.  
  
Trying not to show her surprise, Roisin thought of how her mother would react upon seeing the hat. Probably would have fallen into a seizure out of sheer horror.  
  
Reflecting on this, Roisin nearly missed the hat starting to sing. It started with a short introduction, then went on to give a description of each House and its characteristics and values. Finishing the song, the hat bowed to each of the four tables and fell silent.  
  
In the applause that followed, Blaise leaned over from his spot next to her, whispering, "We just have to try on the hat? So much for wrestling a troll! I wanted to see how many Gryffindors got squashed!"  
  
Roisin hushed him, giggling, as the first two students (Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones) were sent to Hufflepuff. The fat friar waved merrily.  
  
Terry Boot and Mandy Brocklehurst went to Ravenclaw, followed by Lavender Brown to Gryffindor, and then it was Millicent's turn.  
  
The girl was pale as she walked up to the hat on wobbly legs, and practically fell into her seat at the table second from the right when the hat pronounced her a 'SLYTHERIN!'  
  
Trying not to faint with nerves, as they passed the 'D's and she realised that she would have to wait another eleven letters for her turn, Roisin concentrated on the sorting. The hat seemed to take different amounts of time with different students. Some were sent to a House almost immediately, whereas the current victim, sorry, student, Seamus Finnegan, had been sitting on the stool for almost a minute now.  
  
The boy from Diagon Alley, Neville Longbottom, actually fell over on his way up to be sorted, and when he was pronounced a Gryffindor, forgot to take it off before going to his new table. Roisin tried not to laugh too hard as he jogged back to give it to MacDougal, Morag.  
  
Draco Malfoy went to Slytherin less than five seconds after the hat had touched his head. The student after him was sent to Gryffindor. Desdemona whimpered quietly as her name was called. Roisin was too anxious about her name coming up to offer any reassurance.  
  
Desdemona went to Slytherin after several seconds pause, and then it was "O'Conner, Roisin!"  
  
Blaise gave her an encouraging pat on the back as she walked up to the hat. Roisin felt the hat descend on her head, and then it was like a little voice whispering in her ear. _Where to place you, hmmm? Brains, and a desire to learn, but a bit too ruthless for Ravenclaw. Loyalty, but very exclusive, people have to earn it first._ Roisin wished the hat would get on with it. Her grandmother had said that Gryffindor was the most popular house, maybe she should try to go there. That would show her parents! She would be great, rising above everyone else! Her plans to convince the hat were cut short when it exclaimed (as well as the mental voice of a hat can exclaim anything)  _Well, that settles it. SLYTHERIN!_  
  
Relieved that the hat had finally chosen somewhere, Roisin joined Desdemona and Millicent, trying to stop herself from shaking with relief. Theo and Pansy quickly joined them.  
  
There was quite a commotion when Harry's turn came, with nearly everyone in the Hall pointing and whispering, and the Gryffindor table being just a bit too enthusiastic when Harry joined them.  
  
By the time the cheers died down, there were only three people left. Lisa Turpin became a Ravenclaw, followed by the boy from the station, Ron Weasly, joining Harry in Gryffindor.  
  
By now, Blaise was looking decidedly green, enough so that Roisin was sure that there were going to be any number of truly awful jokes when he was finally sorted into Slytherin.  
  
The Headmaster rose to his feet, spreading his arms open as Professor McGonagall took away the hat and stool. After a very short speech that made little to no sense, the students cheered and the previously empty dishes were suddenly piled high with food.  
  
Helping herself to roast chicken, chips and vegetables, Roisin began to eat, listening to the dinner chatter around her.  
  
As the food disappeared, to be replaced by a variety of puddings, the talk turned to their families.  
  
Some, like Draco Malfoy, were only children. ("Sole heir to the Malfoy name and fortune, you know." Hopefully the Malfoy line would end with him, too, if the rest of his family was like this.)  
  
Theo and Pansy were also without siblings, but Desdemona had a younger brother who was due to start next year, and another who would arrive two years after they graduated. Roisin sent up a silent prayer that they were a bit less active than their sister.  
  
Millicent had an older sister who had left the previous year, and a brother who would start with Desdemona's youngest one. Blaise also had seveal cousins and a paternal half-sister who had already graduated, but was stuck as the baby of the family. Millicent assured him that being older was overrated, as younger siblings only followed you around to annoy you on a regular basis.  
  
Taking a bite of treacle tart, Draco looked over to Roisin. "What about you? Tell us about the mysterious O'Conner clan."  
  
Roisin rolled her eyes. "If I told you then we wouldn't be mysterious, would we? My father's a squib, much to everyone's shame and dismay, and so is my brother, but my grandparents and the rest of the clan is all magical. It's completely unheard of for anyone to even marry a non-magical person."  
  
Skirting and severely editing the truth, but no outright lies. Fionna may have married a muggle-born wizard, but he was still a wizard, and Aunt Lily had been a witch, so perhaps there was a recessive gene there.  
  
An eavesdropping third year leaned over. "I heard Harry Potter on the train, says you're his cousin. What's that about?"  
  
Roisin glared. "Does it matter? I'm my own person, regardless of family connections. I don't need his fame to prove anything!"  
  
A fourth year had also been listening in, and grinned at her. "Hey, it's all good. Be a credit to Slytherin House and no one will care who you are related to." The fourth year glared at Draco Malfoy, who had the beginnings of a sneer on his face. "Right, everyone?"  
  
Whether they agreed or not, nobody found it important enough to press the issue, especially with an older student, and conversation turned to more mundane topics.  
  
As the pudding also disappeared, Dumbledore rose to his feet again. The hall fell silent. "Ahem. Now that we are all fed and watered, I have a few announcements to make. First years should take note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils, as should some of our older students."  
  
His eyes flickered to the Gryffindor table. A pair of red-head twins tried and failed to look innocent.  
  
"I have also been asked by the caretaker to remind you that no magic is to be used in the corridors between classes."  
  
Dumbledore continued on to something about Quidditch trials as Roisin shared a glance with Desdemona. She gave it a day at most before most of Hogwarts was breaking that rule.  
  
Her amusement was cut short at Dumbledore's next announcement. "And finally, I must inform you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is off-limits to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."  
  
A few of the students on the other tables laughed. Everyone else just exchanged confused or slightly worried looks.  
  
Dumbledore dropped most of his seriousness now, smiling brightly. "And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"  
  
Dumbledore's smile may have been genuine, but the other teacher's smiles became rather fixed. Roisin could have sworn that some of them actually paled.  
  
A long ribbon shot out of Dumbledore's wand, twisting itself into words. "Now, everyone pick your favorite tune, and off we go!"  
  
The song was very un-co-coordinated, with everyone singing at different speeds and finishing at different times. Several of the older Slytherin students remained stubbornly silent.  
  
Finally, only the Gryffindor twins were left, singing to a very slow funeral march. Roisin thought that it might very well be their funeral march if they didn't shut up soon. Indeed, the teachers were among those who clapped the loudest when they finished, and promptly ordered the students off to bed.  
  


* * *

The two fifth year prefects led the Slytherin first years out of the hall to their dormitories. Sleepily, Roisin noticed that they were heading down into the dungeons.  
  
Arriving at what looked like a blank stretch of wall, the female prefect called out to them. "Listen up, all of you," (Pansy jerked awake from where she had been dozing on Millicent's shoulder.) "To get into the Common Room, you will need to know the password It changes every week, and you will be informed every Monday of the new one."  
  
Turning to the wall, the male prefect spoke. "Discretion over valor."  
  
The wall slid aside before their eyes, revealing a large room decorated in green and silver. The students walked in, looking around at the decorations. The female prefect called for their attention once more. "Normally, there would be an orientation speech, but I think that can wait until morning. Girls follow me, boys go with Tiberius, and we'll show you to your dorms."  
  
She led the girls down a corridor while the boys disappeared down another. Arriving at a door labeled 'First Years', she opened the door to a large and tastefully decorated room with four large beds. Ushering them inside, she pointed to their trunks, stashed against one of the walls. "You can pick your own bed. You can unpack tomorrow, so go to sleep. I'll see all of you in the morning."  
  
Choosing a bed close to the window, Roisin pulled out her nightgown and quickly changed, then fell straight into bed. The other girls did much the same, not even bothering to mumble a goodnight.  
  
Closing her eyes, Roisin immediately headed off to the land of dreams.  
  


 

 

 

 

 


	6. The First Day and Classes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day at Hogwarts

 

 

Roisin was woken up the next morning by a loud _'squee'_ of delight.

Mentally planning something nasty if Desdemona didn't shut up, though she would probably decide against actually doing anything once she was properly awake and less grumpy, Roisin threw back the covers and got out of bed. Pansy and Millicent were reluctantly rising from their own beds, stifling yawns. Desdemona was standing by the window, looking out. "Hey, guys, you have got to come see this!"

The source of her delight became obvious, and Roisin was forced to agree. Their dormitory was apparently cut into the cliff itself, and the window opened onto a spectacular view of the lake and surrounding landscape.

They were drawn back into the room by a knock on the door. The fifth year prefect from the night before poked her head in. "Hey. You've got the Orientation Meeting in the common room in half an hour. Get cleaned up and get down there."

Collecting her uniform and a change of underwear, Roisin took the chance to look around the room.

It was spacious, and well laid out. One wall had the door that connected them to the rest of the House and two bookcases for books and other school supplies. Nearby were a table and several chairs. The wall with the window and the one facing it had two beds each, Roisin and Desdemona on the wall with the window. Each bed had a small wardrobe and draws/vanity on the left side, and a single-person desk and chair on the right, complete with bookstand and an empty stationary set. The last wall had a door that connected to a large bathroom.

Grabbing her toiletries and going into the bathroom, Roisin blinked in surprise. Expecting something like the communal bathroom in the motel where she had stayed on the run from the Hogwarts letters, she was amazed to see three showers and a large bathtub, along with four sink-and-cupboards. It looked sort of like four separate bathrooms merged into one. Two more doors were marked 'WC'. Catching Roisin's expression, Pansy grinned. "Some of the Slytherin Alumina made a complaint about living standards a couple of years ago, something about how miserable dungeon conditions were when there was no fresh air to dry things out. So, they made a big donation to renovate the bathrooms and now we have this."

Remembering the Orientation, the four girls quickly showered (Desdemona sulked at having to wait for someone to finish their shower unless she wanted to take the time to run a bath), brushed their teeth, and changed. Running down to the common room, they arrived a few seconds before the boys.

* * *

The Orientation was fairly simple, consisting mainly of introducing the prefects (the sixth year prefects would be showing them to their first lesson of each class.) and a basic run-down of the Do's and Don'ts of Slytherin. Do be a credit to your House, Do Not get caught breaking rules (feel free to break them, just don't get caught) Do stick together. Slytherins stand up for each other, because it is unlikely that anyone else will. Do Not show weakness or friction where any other House might see, and so on.

They were also introduced to their Head of House, Professor Snape, who Desdemona had pointed out at the feast last night. Professor Snape was a tall man, with dark hair and sallow skin. His voice was low and intense, almost hypnotic as he fixed them with his dark eyes. "Welcome to Slytherin. I trust that you will all be a credit to your house. If you are ever in need of assistance, your prefects are here. If you have a problem that you believe may be too big for them, my door will always be open."

However intimidating Professor Snape's appearance may have been, his words rang true. The professor's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked over the room, pausing momentarily here and there. "Despite popular opinion, Slytherin is not a breeding ground for dark wizards. Slytherin is the house for those who wish to rise above expected limitations, to be all that they can be. Blood does matter, yes, but ability matters more. If I catch any of you harassing another Slytherin on basis of origin or bloodline, there will be trouble. Because of misrepresentation, other houses will discriminate against you. You are likely to hear derogatory generalizations about Slytherin House. Avoid confrontations while other teachers are about, but do not be afraid to defend yourselves if need be. If I don't hear about it, then it didn't happen. Breakfast will be starting soon, so I suggest that you make your way to the Great Hall. You have a full day of classes ahead of you."

* * *

The sixth-year prefects led the way up to the Great Hall and Breakfast. While the fare was not as spectacular as last night's feast, it was still some of the best Roisin had ever tasted. Roisin spotted Harry over at Gryffindor table, still looking a bit tired, and waved. Harry lifted a hand slightly in return, but the red-head next to him shot her a nasty look. Desdemona leaned over to whisper in Roisin's ear, "Ignore the Weasly boy. Probably just upset about a 'slimy Slytherin' being friends with a noble Gryffindor."

Were House rivalries really that bad? Roisin had thought that Professor Snape was just being a bit dramatic. She put it aside as Desdemona's expression of overly exaggerated aloofness sent the rest of the first years into a fit of giggles.

About half way through the meal, weekly class schedules were handed out. Roisin and the other first-years could barely wait to get started, although the prefects warned them that the novelty of it would wear off somewhere in the first few weeks. The prefects obviously didn't know Desdemona; Roisin doubted that anything would manage to dampen her enthusiasm. Besides, Roisin was a witch learning how to do magic!

It was almost enough to distract her from thinking about how much her family disagreed with that stance.

Roisin glanced at her schedule. Term started on a Wednesday, which made it slightly confusing, but it wasn't too bad.

 **Monday**   
9:00 – 10:30 Herbology   
10:40 – 12:10 Charms   
1:10 – 2:40 Potions   
2:50 – 4:20 Transfiguration

 **Tuesday**   
9:00 – 10:30 Potions   
10:40 – 12:10 Defense   
1:10 – 2:40 Astronomy (Theory)   
Midnight- 2:00 Astronomy (Prac)

 **Wednesday**  
9:00 – 10:30 History of Magic   
10:40 – 12:10 Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA)   
1:10 – 2:40 Herbology   
2:50 – 4:20 Charms

 **Thursday**   
9:00 – 10:30 Transfiguration   
10:40 – 12:10 Transfiguration   
1:10 – 2:40 DADA   
2:50 – 4:20 Charms

 **Friday**   
9:00 – 11:30 Potions   
11:40 - 1:10 Herbology

Given that the lessons took place in a large castle, the ten minutes between subjects was probably so the students could get from one class to another on time. At least they would get plenty of exercise.

The subjects were fascinating. Most of their classes were taught along with another house. For example, Herbology would be held with Ravenclaw, Transfiguration with Hufflepuff, and Potions with Gryffindor. Roisin had a Very Bad Feeling about the last one.

While the subjects themselves sounded fascinating, actually navigating the castle to reach the classrooms was nowhere near as fun. Roisin had been right when she guessed that the ten minutes was because of the location of the class and size of the castle, but as it turned out, ten minutes was a hopeful estimate. Roisin had thought this very strange when she heard some older students grumbling about it, but had discovered the reason right after her first class.

There were over a hundred different staircases in Hogwarts, and half of them had a trick step or two, some even changing position on random days. There were doors that refused to open without a password, or were hidden behind a tapestry, or led somewhere different on a Tuesday. To complicate things even more, none of the portraits stayed in one place, Roisin was sure that some of the suits of armor could move, and the statues/paintings/etc that could give directions, frequently refused to.

The Ghosts probably enjoyed thwarting the students hopes for a timely arrival, Roisin thought uncharitably, as one floated away wearing what looked suspiciously like a smirk. They might be dead and stuck on this plane for the foreseeable future, but being Ghosts meant that they could float and walk through walls, rather than almost reaching a destination and then doubling back for a different route because a stairway suddenly decided to move.

It was really no wonder that Hogwarts had a resident Poltergeist, who went by the very appropriate name of Peeves. Poltergeists were spirits created by turbulent emotions, often boosted by latent magic in the area. After a thousand years of students cursing the capricious nature of the castle while they were trying to get somewhere, and about half of the population going through adolecence and its associated trials at any given time, it was actually a wonder that they only had one.

Admittedly, however, it could have been worse. The prefects showed them around, and the Slytherin Ghost, called the Bloody Baron, kept Peeves the Poltergeist away from them. Peeves's mission in un-life seemed to be causing trouble and mayhem in the most obnoxious way possible. As Harry complained to Roisin during one of their shared classes, the Poltergeist "was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase."

The classes were defiantly worth it though. Herbology was taught by a witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned about the various plants and fungi and their different uses. Pansy and a few of the other first-years (mostly girls but also Draco and a few boys) wailed about dirt on their robes, but Roisin thought it was wonderful, even if it wasn't her strongest subject.

Petunia Dursley had been sure to install an appreciation for gardening in her only daughter.

Charms was taught by a tiny wizard by the name of Professor Flitwick. He was so short that he had to stand on a stack of books to see over the desk. Nevertheless, he knew what he was doing, even if he was a bit excitable.

Transfiguration was taught by Professor McGonagall, who quickly proved Roisin's first impression correct: She was not a woman to mess with. As soon as they had sat down, she started with a stern lecture about how Transfiguration was a serious subject and should be taken seriously. Anyone fooling around would leave and would not be coming back. Professor McGonagall changed her desk into a pig and back again, and then set them to taking a lot of complicated notes. Finally, they were all given a matchstick and set to work trying to turn it into a needle.

Roisin managed to get the stick and the lump of beeswax to turn smooth, but at the end of the lesson, only Blaise, Theo and Susan Bones from Hufflepuff had made any noticeable difference to their needles.

In Astronomy, they had two separate classrooms. Theory was held on Tuesday afternoon, then Practical at midnight at the top of the tallest tower. Roisin and most of her friends thought this profoundly unfair, as they had to actually get up the next morning, but as Blaise pointed out, they could always make up for it in History of Magic, which was their first subject the next day. As long as you stayed awake the first five minutes to get the day's assignment and homework, you could spend the rest of the ninty minutes catching up on missed sleep.

Blaise was right, to his Year-Mates' combined relief and dismay.

History of Magic was even more boring than listening to Roisin's father talk about work at the end of the day. Even the students who didn't have Astronomy the night before tended to sleep through it, and simply studied the material out of the text book.

Defense against the Dark Arts was also an amazing let-down. Roisin had seen Professor Quirrel at the Leaky Cauldron, but had been too busy fighting the crowd to actually meet him. Therefore, the first-years had entered full of excitement, eagerly wondering what they would learn first… and promptly discovered Professor Quirrel to be a stuttering idiot who seemed to have very little idea what he was doing.

What the Slytherins were really looking forward to, however, was Potions.

* * *

Potions was taught by Professor Snape, and held with the Gryffindors, which meant that House Rivalry Entertainment was a given. Rumours flew that Professor Snape favoured Slytherin, but the first-years put little stock in that. Professor Snape was well-liked by the House as a whole, protecting them, never too busy to put down what he was doing to help them when they needed it, with anything from directions to homework.

This was especially appreciated because it seemed that Professor Snape was the only one who would. The other students avoided Slytherin, and the signs were small, but it was obvious that several of the other teachers looked down on Slytherin. As Pansy had summed up: "It's all talk, I think. Even if it is true, if Professor Snape doesn't favour us, who will?"

Whether it was true or not, the first-years were up early, dressed, breakfasted, and lining up outside the potions classroom well before the bell rang. The Gryffindors seemed un-nerved by the dungeon atmosphere, and especially by the pickled ingredients floating in jars that lined the walls. Roisin and the other Slytherins, whose dorms were in the dungeons, had no real problem, although Roisin had to admit that some of the things that they would use were a little creepy.

Class was fun, however. Roisin had the sneaking suspicion that Professor Snape had something against Harry, but it could have been as simple as the fact that he hadn't disagreed when Weasley had been muttering about Professor Snape favouring Slytherin, totally oblivious to the man standing less than three feet away at the time, for all she knew.

Snape started class by calling the register, then a small speech on what they would be doing. "There will be no foolish wand waving in this class. You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even stopper death." He glared at the class, specifically Gryffindor, "That is if you aren't as big a bunch of idiots as I usually have to teach."

A bushy-haired Gryffindor girl who had responded to 'Hermione Granger' was bouncing on the edge of her seat, looking almost desperate to prove that she wasn't an idiot. The Slytherins were just as eager, but they at least knew not to be so obvious about it. Those with older siblings already knew that Professor Snape chose a student in the first class of every year to ask more advanced questions, and had warned their House-Mates in advance.

While they were dying to know who it would be, no-one wanted to be singled out and potentially made a fool of in the first lesson. The unfortunate student turned out to be Harry, who jumped as Professor Snape called on him. "Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of Asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Roisin mentally ran through the studying that they had done last night. Asphodel was a very pretty flower with several symbolic purposes, though it's association with Hades and the Underworld in Greek Mythology made it most adept for poisons and the very advanced healing potions. Its roots, harvested under a waning cresent or dark moon, had several uses. In potions, it was most often used as a powerful sleeping agent.

Hermione Granger's hand shot up, but Professor Snape ignored her as he waited for Harry's answer. Roisin saw her cousin exchange a confused look with Ron Weasley, who shrugged. "I don't know, sir."

The Professor sneered at them, making a comment about fame not being everything. "Let's try again. Where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

Roisin had fallen asleep the chapter before that in her potions book, so she waited for the answer, along with most of the class. Hermione looked ready to bounce out of her seat. "I don't know, sir."

Professor Snape's last question was concerning the difference between monkshood and Wolfsbane. Desdemona had been studying that last night, before Millicent had thrown a pillow and told her to turn the light off and go to sleep. Roisin raised an eyebrow at her partner, who whispered that they were the same plant, also going by the name of aconite.

By now, Hermione Granger was actually standing up, stretching her hand as far up as it would go. Roisin shook her head; that was probably one of the worst ways to get Professor Snape's attention, and was more than likely to just annoy him. Sure enough, Professor Snape sharply told her to sit down, took a point from Gryffindor for Harry's admittedly cheeky response, and gave them the correct answers, which they quickly wrote down.

They were then set to making a simple boil-reducing potion, as Professor Snape moved around the classroom, offering both praise and criticism. Draco and Theo had just finished stewing their horned slugs, and Roisin and Desdemona were adding half an ounce of frog-spawn to their potion, when acrid green smoke began to fill the air. Coughing, everyone started looking around for the source.

It wasn't hard to find. Neville Longbottom, the Gryffindor boy that Roisin had met in Diagon Alley, had somehow managed to melt his partner's cauldron into a twisted blob, and the potion was now seeping slowly across the floor, hissing and eating its way through people's shoes. Almost immediately, everyone was standing on their chairs, trying to avoid the potion. Furious, Professor Snape rounded on the unfortunate boy, who had been drenched when the cauldron had exploded. "Idiot boy! I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Sitting at the front, Roisin and Desdemona had the clearest path to the door. Practically snarling, Professor Snape directed Roisin to take Neville to the hospital wing. Letting Neville find his own way across the potion-covered floor, Roisin gathered her books and parchment together. Resisting the urge to sigh as Neville tripped over his own feet, Roisin tried to find a part of him that wasn't covered in painful boils, to support him as she helped the unfortunate boy out of the dungeons and up to the hospital wing, where she quickly explained what had happened, then hurried back downstairs for Herbology.

 

 

 

 


	7. Disasters and discoveries

  
  
Despite the minor disaster of the first potions lesson, life at Hogwarts progressed more or less normally for the next few weeks.  
  
The other first year Slytherins had been rather vague about what had happened after she left the class with Neville to put all the Gryffindors in such a bad mood, but Roisin didn't bother to enquire too deeply. With the House Rivalry as it was, she would probably get a multitude of different accounts, with not enough facts to sort out which was correct, and if Roisin wanted _that_ much of a headache, she could just do an extra-credit Transfiguration essay.  
  
Roisin did notice that Professor Snape was being unusually nasty to the Gryffindors, but then they hadn't been all that polite to the Slytherins, either. Regardless, nothing happened to really stir the waters of everyday school life.  
  
Roisin still kept in close touch with her grandmother, who sent weekly letters and monthly packages of sweets, answering any questions that Roisin might have, telling her general news, and mentioning that she wanted Roisin to meet the rest of the Clan over Christmas, although she would need to get permission from Roisin's parents first.  
  
Roisin didn't fool herself into thinking that her parents would be in any way pleased about letting Roisin go and meet any more 'Freaks' than she already knew, much less give permission. Roisin pushed aside the stab of hurt that she had been resolutely not thinking about, but which still made an appearence whenever they, or even just biological families in general, came up in conversation. Putting the letter down, she immediately started thinking over possible ways to persuade them.

She was Slytherin, after all, so she was supposed to be cunning. If she wanted permission to visit somewhere over the holidays, then she would figure out a way get it.  
  
Classes went well, aside from Professor Quirril's hopeless incompetence in teaching them Defence against the Dark Arts. The Slytherin First years solved that problem by studying out of their books and convincing the older years to let them watch and take notes while they practiced curses and Defence-related spells.  
  
All in all, nothing really happened to shake things up until the notices were posted for the first flying lessons of the year. More specifically, which House they would be sharing lessons with.  
  
Gryffindor.  
  
Oh, this promised problems.  
  


* * *

On the first day of flying lessons, Roisin woke with an unusual feeling of trepidation.  
  
Sadly, it turned out that this feeling was not unfounded. While Draco Malfoy's family was highly-placed, that did not make him the ruler of Slytherin. Family aside, there was still a pecking order, and unless you were capable of hexing the older years to hell and back, you tried to stay on their good side.  
  
Draco's family had apparently not taught him that while blood did matter in Slytherin; ability, cunning, ambition and subtlety mattered more. Especially when other people knew a lot more than you did and could make you regret mouthing off. Yet another lecture on this by one of the seventh years had put Draco in a sulk, and when his attempt to rile up the Gryffindors at breakfast backfired, that degenerated into a Bad Mood.  
  
It was an unfortunate, but well known fact in Slytherin that when Draco Malfoy was in a Bad Mood, he was likely to do something stupid.  
  
The 'Something Stupid' happened in Flying Lessons.  
  
Malfoy was stretched to the limit when Madam Hooch told him that he had been flying wrong for years and the other Slytherin first years were either exchanging worried looks or keeping a close eye on Draco.  
  
They were granted a short, if highly amusing reprieve, when Ron Weasley's broom jumped up hard enough to whack him in the face, and then had to concentrate on Madam Hooch as she explained the basics of taking off.  
  
In most classes, students were given a demonstration of what to do. In Flying Lessons, they got an unplanned demonstration of what _not_ to do.  
  
Neville Longbottom panicked, and shot at least thirty feet into the air before losing control and plummeting back down to earth, hitting the ground with a sickening 'crack'.  
  
Roisin supposed that they should at least be thankful that Malfoy waited until Madam Hooch took Neville to the hospital wing, and was thus out of sight and hearing range, before he burst out laughing.  
  
Or maybe not, since the presence of a teacher might have stopped what happened next.  
  
A few of the other Slytherins joined him in loud amusement, although more from lack of original thought (Crabbe and Goyle) or amusement at the Gryffindors' faces (Pansy, Desdemona and Theo) than from actual maliciousness.  
  
The Gryffindor Patil twin, Parvati, glared at the Slytherins, snapping at them to shut up. She blushed slightly when Pansy returned with a sneering remark about liking the unfortunate boy. Roisin frowned at them both. "Knock it off, Pansy. Why are we sinking to Gryffindor level, anyway? Especially when Hooch is probably sending a teacher to keep an eye on us until she gets back."  
  
This convinced most of the laughing Slytherins to shut up. No one wanted to be compared with the Gryffindors, after all, and no sane person wanted to risk Professor Snape's wrath by being the first to get in major trouble.  
  
Draco, however, just didn't seem to know when to quit.  
  
Neville Longbottom's red globe that he had received at breakfast that morning had fallen out of his pocked when he fell, and was lying on the grass. Draco snatched it up, but before one of the other Slytherin first years could say anything to stop him from making things worse, Harry stepped up to challenge him and try to get it back.  
  
Knowing her cousin's intolerence for taking other people's things (a side-effect of living with Dudley) and beginning to get a grasp on Draco's character, Roisin could only watch as Draco grabbed a broom and shot into the air, closely pursued by Harry.  
  
Roisin buried her head in her hands, not bothering to join the rest of the class in either cheering the two boys on or yelling at them to get down. This was not going to end well.  
  
Her head snapped up again when the cheers turned into horrified gasps. She followed the rest of the class's gaze to where Harry had turned his broomstick into a steep dive, flying after the red ball that Draco had either dropped or thrown.  
  
Blaise winced as Roisin paled and grabbed his arm a bit too tightly, terrified that her cousin was going to be little more than a hole in the Quidditch Pitch. Harry managed to pull his broom up in time, however, and tumbled onto the soft grass.  
  
Blaise managed to steady Roisin as she let out a faint whimper and nearly fell over in relief. Because of this, they both failed to notice Professor McGonagall heading toward the class with all the subtlety of a guided missile.  
  
Despite protests from Weasley and Parvati Patil, the Deputy Headmistress marched Harry off, just as Madam Hooch returned. Unfortunately for Draco, Madam Hooch did listen to the Gryffindor's protests, and removed twenty points from Slytherin, along with spending the coming weekend in detention.  
  
This was not going to go down well.  
  


* * *

Tuning out the lecture that Draco received from Professor Snape, and the second one from the prefects, Roisin worried herself into a right state until dinner, where she rushed over to the Gryffindor table as soon as she spotted Harry.  
  
Harry assured her that he was not expelled, but remained very close mouthed about what his actual punishment had been. Trying to pry information out of him while ignoring the youngest Weasley glaring holes in her back, Roisin finally gave up and stalked off in a huff. Excuse her for caring about if Harry would be going back to the Dursleys for the rest of his life!  
  
Still fuming, and stabbing her food a bit harder than was strictly necessary, Roisin barely noticed Draco's absence until he came over and sat down across from her. "Worried about your cousin, Rosie?"  
  
Roisin shot the blond boy a dark look. "Don't call me Rosie, you idiot. He's my cousin, and getting expelled means going back to the Muggle World until he reaches the age of majority. Of course I'm worried!"  
  
Draco grinned at her. "He's not expelled over the Broomstick incident this afternoon, if that's what you're worried about. He might get in trouble over the duel we're having in the trophy room tonight, though."  
  
The other Slytherins within hearing range stared at him in disbelief. Millicent said what they were probably all thinking. "Draco, you just got a double lecture about what happened this afternoon. You can't honestly be thinking about breaking curfew tonight as well! You'll be the one expelled this time, along with anyone stupid enough to go with you!"  
  
Scowling at them, Draco stormed out of the Great Hall; presumably back to the Slytherin Common Room, muttering about the Great and Noble house of Malfoy not being scared about going against 'that stupid scar-head'.  
  
Roisin sighed and moved her plate out of the way, before thumping her head onto the table. "I thought Slytherin's were supposed to be intelligent. Are we sure that Draco got put in the right house?"  
  
Blaise leaned over and patted her arm. "Probably a Legacy Placement. We'll figure something out, Roisin, don't worry. Malfoy already looks like enough of an idiot without getting his arse kicked by a Gryffindor."  
  


* * *

The plan for stopping Draco turned out to be quite simple.  
  
After a quick word to Professor Snape, who was less than pleased, the first years (Aside from Draco and Crabbe) pretended to go upstairs to bed, but then snuck back down to hide in the common room. At half past eleven, Draco and Crabbe stood up and began to make their way out of the concealed wall that hid the Common Room.  
  
At this point, the rest of the year stopped them with the simple act of dog-piling the both of them, performing the full body-bind (recently learned from a fifth-year who helped them in Defense) and dragging them back to the dorms at wand-point.  
  
When a prefect came to investigate the noise, they told the prefect what was going on, and the prefect simply locked all of the first years into their gender-respective rooms, promising to let them out in the morning.  
  
Silently cursing Draco Malfoy to the moon and back, Roisin curled up in her bed. She would ambush Harry the next morning before breakfast, and get the details from him.  
  
Then she'd figure out how much of a hexing Draco deserved, even if she wasn't good enough with magic to actually give it to him, and rant about the whole mess in her next letter to Fionna.  
  
Whatever had happened, it had made Harry and the Weasley boy very jumpy the next morning.  
  


* * *

Harry had always been quick on his feet, due to avoiding Dudley and his gang, but they were always somewhat hard to miss, and Roisin would have the element of surprise. This turned out not to be a good thing, as Roisin had barely dragged them into the small room off the Hall, when she found herself at the business end of two wands.  
  
Refusing to look intimidated, regardless of what she actually felt, Roisin glared at the two boys when they noticed it was her and relaxed slightly. "What the hell happened last night? Draco was going on about some kind of duel between you!"  
  
The Weasley boy made a derisive noise. "Malfoy challenged Harry to a duel all right. Then the poncy bastard didn't even show up, did he."  
  
Roisin scowled at him. "Much as I'd like to think otherwise, I was reading up on Wizarding Family Trees, and Draco is legitimate, even is he is an absolute moron. He didn't show because we told the prefects and ambushed him before he could sneak out. But that doesn't answer my question. What the Hell happened?"  
  
Harry sighed and checked that no-one else was listening. "We went to the trophy room and nearly got caught by Filch. We managed to escape, but wound up in the third-floor corridor. Found out why it was forbidden, too. Last time I go near the place."  
  
The Weasley boy, who she was not going to call by name until he stopped acting like she was evil because of which House she was in, gave her a suspicious look. "Why do you care so much, anyway?"  
  
Roisin glared back. "Because as thick-headed as he occasionally is, I don't want my cousin expelled. Because Draco has a big mouth and if I didn't ask you what happened, someone else would, and they wouldn't be as nice."  
  
Weasley looked slightly abashed. "Yeah, well, tell anyone about what happened and I'll hex you."  
  
Roisin's wand was out in a flash and pointing at him. Two could play that game. "Point that wand at me and I'll curse you before you can say petrificus. I'll tell them that you were nearly caught by Filch, but I won't say anything about the Forbidden Corridor. Try to stay out of trouble from now on, will you."  
  
Putting her wand away, Roisin stalked out of the room and over to the Slytherin table, sitting in between Desdemona and Pansy. Sitting across from her, Millicent raised an eyebrow. "Talking with your cousin? Did you get anything about what happened to them last night?"  
  
Beside her, Draco leaned over eagerly. "Please tell me that they at least got caught by Filch?"  
  
Ignoring him, Roisin addressed her answer to Millie. "They got to the trophy room and waited for about half an hour, but then Filch came sniffing around, so they made a run for it. Nothing drastic. Now will someone tell Draco that next time he cooks up some idiot plan, to make sure it only affects him, and not the rest of us?"  
  
Never the sharpest tool in the potions lab, Goyle obediently relayed this to Draco while the others snickered. Roisin smiled, rolled her eyes, and stole the last pancake.

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: See previous chapters._

_Summary: We have all read the whole 'Harry/Malfoy/Hermione has a sister, yada, yada, yada.' Idea, but what if the aforementioned sister was not a Potter/Malfoy/Granger? What if she was a Dursley? Meet Roisin Dursley. Witch of the family._

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

It took two days for Draco to stop sulking about Harry and Ron not getting caught and expelled.

The rest of the house, however, remained unanimously disinterested in what Draco though, either sick of listening to him complain, or embarrassed at his plots obvious failure to succeed.

Observation of Harry and Ron, to make sure that they didn't try anything else stupid, hinted that they were not the only ones involved, as Neville Longbottom no longer seemed to want to be anywhere near them, and the resident know-it-all of their year, Hermione Granger, seemed even more annoyed at them than usual.

Roisin had written to Fionna about what she knew of the incident, as it was easier to rant in a letter than to do so in public and be caught.

Fionna had written back with reassurances and a warning to be careful, as there was obviously a lot more going on than met the eye. The letter ended on a lighter note, however, asking how classes were, and if Roisin had received permission to visit her grandmother during the upcoming Christmas holiday.

Roisin was still sorting through ideas for the one most likely to succeed, but intended to put it into motion within the next week or so. It had been somewhat difficult with Desdemona leaning over her shoulder and offering less than helpful suggestions the entire time.

While Desdemona might be able to pull the 'If I'm Causing Havoc Somewhere Else, I'm Not Causing Havoc Here' card, but even 'Magic' wouldn't be able to convince her parents that their previously calm and obedient daughter had turned into a hellion in less than three months. Besides, even if that was the case, they probably wouldn't care whether Roisin was causing chaos at Hogwarts or at her Grandmothers.

* * *

A week after the broomstick incident and near-duel, the Slytherin first years came down to breakfast with a cheerful attitude.

One of the older students had finally become fed up with Draco muttering darkly and sulking, and threatened to hex him soundly if he didn't stop it. It was a Seventh-Year studying for an important test, so no-one blamed them, really. Apparently NEWT year was nothing but a long series of tests, practice exams, and mountains of homework.

Realizing that pushing the issue would be a Bad Idea, Draco had obeyed, leaving a much lighter atmosphere and a hopeful outlook for the coming days.

Sadly, this atmosphere went downhill as the owl post arrived halfway through breakfast.

Roisin was just opening the latest package from her grandmother (sweets and a soft woollen scarf,  _'just in case. The winter gets very cold, dear'_ ) when six owls, carrying a long, slender package, flew toward the Gryffindor table, landing in front of Harry.

Draco was the first to notice this, as most of the first years had been pre-occupied with laughing at the Ravenclaw table, where two owls had collided with each other and fallen into the porridge bowl, splashing several students. He pointed it out just in time to see another owl swoop in and drop a letter on top of the package.

While he had stopped complaining about Harry and Ron Weasley, Draco was obviously still holding a grudge, as he insisted on going over to find out what it was and if it could be used to get Harry into trouble. None of the other first years particularly cared what was in the package, so they ignored Draco, Crabbe and Goyle as they stood and made a beeline for the Gryffindor table.

Looking up as they left (it was unusual to see Crabbe and Goyle leave the table before the dishes were emptied) Theo shook his head, commenting on how long it would take for Draco to return. Speculating with the other girls about what they could expect for Halloween at Hogwarts, Roisin paid no attention until Draco stormed back to the table, ranting about rules being broken for the famous and Harry receiving a broomstick.

And they were back to listening to Draco complain about Harry, again. It was really a bit hypocritical, since Draco had repeatedly tried to use the 'My Father...' line to try to make someone do something for him, even if it seldom worked. Roisin resolved to find out what was going on at the first opportunity, just so she could tell Draco to make him shut up.

* * *

Her chance came that night when she and Desdemona were combing the Great Hall in search of Desdemona's Charms book, which she had been glancing through at dinner and left behind.

Seeing Harry walk past on the way out of the castle, Roisin and Desdemona left off searching to follow him. The book wasn't going anywhere, if it was even in the Great Hall, and this was too interesting to pass up.

Luckily, Harry failed to notice them as he headed toward the Quidditch Pitch, where he promptly mounted the broom and kicked off, obviously enjoying his new broom.

The two girls were about to go back inside when they had to dive behind the Ravenclaw Stands to avoid being seen by an older boy that one of the Slytherin Prefects had named as Oliver Wood, the fanatical Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. Well, now, wasn't this interesting?

The Charms Book forgotten, they watched as Wood explained the basics of Quidditch and showed Harry the balls and equipment used. After a quick run-through, Wood started throwing golf balls for Harry to catch in mid-air.

Watching them, Roisin frowned. Wood was obviously training Harry to be a seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, which she thought was rather unfair.

Roisin was hardly above breaking the rules herself, on occasion, but not a school-wide one like this. The Hogwarts acceptance letter had clearly stated that First Years were not allowed to bring broomsticks, and Dumbledore had clearly stated that playing on the team was strictly for Second years and over.

If that was what Draco had been complaining about, maybe he had a point, for once. Harry was a good flyer, from what Roisin had seen so far in their one flying lesson, and the Gryffindor Team was something of a laughing stock as far as Seekers went, but that didn't mean that they should be allowed to break the rules like that.

Scrambling deeper into the shadows as Harry and Wood started to head back inside, Roisin and Desdemona exchanged looks before following them back to the castle, just making it before the doors shut them out.

They decided to retrieve Desdemona's book the next morning, and headed straight for the Slytherin Dungeons. The rest of the house would love to know about this!

* * *

The rest of the House did, in fact, want to know about this, even if it did provoke a screaming fit from the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint.

While the other students had less extreme reactions, they also agreed that it was unfair, and all six prefects promised that they would see Professor Snape first thing in the morning to complain about it.

It was starting to get late, however, and the first years were ordered off to bed when Millicent began to doze on Theo's shoulder.

Eager to get away from Flint, who was still ranting, the first years obeyed, going to their dorm rooms and falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

Before Roisin knew it, she was reaching the two month mark of her Hogwarts attendance. Hogwarts was already starting to feel more like home than Privet Drive, probably because of the differing atmospheres, and the lessons were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics, even if they were slightly harder.

November was coming up in a matter of days, and on Halloween morning, she woke to the smell of pumpkin drifting through the halls in preparation for the Halloween feast, which would take place that night.

They laughed quietly at Professor McGonagall's expression when she found the Transfiguration classroom filled with bats and mashed pumpkin, when they had it as a double period first thing in the morning, and the teacher muttered something dark about the Weasley Twins, who were apparently pranksters and getting into the 'Trick or Treat' spirit early.

Defence was focused on something interesting for once, with Quirrel talking about the Muggle beliefs concerning Halloween and their basis in fact. This included a brief overview of the original celebration of Samhain and how it eventually changed into Halloween.

Better still, in Charms, the last class of the day; Professor Flitwick announced that they would be learning how to make things float. Despite sharing this class with Gryffindor, all of the first years were very excited to be learning this, which they had been dying to start ever since the tiny professor had made Neville Longbottom's toad zoom around the classroom in the first lesson.

They were given a lecture on the proper wand movement and incantation, and then split up into pairs to practice on feathers. Desdemona had been paired with Theo that lesson, leaving Roisin with Blaise.

Everyone was eager to start, but it was a lot more difficult than it looked. All the students were practising hard, but were met with varying degrees of success. A few students were having no success at all, and a Gryffindor that Roisin thought was named Seamus Finnigan managed to set his feather on fire, much to the amusement of everyone else.

Despite being paired with Hermione Granger, admittedly one of the brainiest students in the year, Ron Weasley was among those who were having little success.

Focusing on getting her feather to move more than a few centimetres, Roisin was forced to duck as he waved his long arms like windmills, voicing the words for the spell a lot louder than Roisin thought was strictly necessary.

Luckily, Hermione Granger intervened before Blaise could do more than mutter something decidedly uncomplimentary about the red-head. Roisin paused in her own attempts at the spell to watch Hermione as Blaise leaned down to whisper in her ear. "What are you doing? You're meant to be practicing, not watching the Granger muggle-born."

Not taking her eyes off Hermione, Roisin whispered back. "She's also one of the smartest in our year. She usually gets things right in the first lesson, so I'm watching how she does it."

Much to Weasley's obvious disgust and Professor Flitwick's obvious delight, Hermione managed to make her feather rise and float about four feet above the desk. Blaise pulled a face at Roisin, but copied her anyway, and soon their feathers were making their tentative way into the air as well.

* * *

The corridors were very crowded when they left the class, with every student in the castle rushing to put their books and such away before going to the feast. Pushing their way through the crowd, the Slytherins were surprised to see Hermione Granger shove her way past them in tears.

Roisin felt sorry for the girl, but ultimately decided that it was none of her business and any interference would probably be unwelcome. Instead, she put it out of mind as she headed down to the Dungeons, and then the Great Hall for the feast with the others, all anticipating something spectacular.

They were not disappointed. The hall was filled with thousands of live bats, which swooped over the tables in large dark clouds, making the candles flicker and enticing a few shrieks when they got too close to a student.

Then the feast appeared on the golden platters, as it had at the Welcoming Feast. Seeing one of the jumpier students at the Ravenclaw table, Theo grabbed a bat that had wandered within reach and threw it at the back of their head, resulting in a piercing shriek.

Roisin joined in the laughter as she reached for the peas, only to drop the spoon when Quirrel burst into the Hall, shrieking about a Troll in the Dungeons, and then collapsed in a dead faint.

The hall erupted into chaos as everyone, students and teachers alike, started panicking. It took several loud bangs from Dumbledore's wand to restore even a semblance of order. "Prefects, take your Houses back to the Common Rooms immediately. Teachers, come with me."

Most of Slytherin exchanged horrified looks. Their Common Room was in the Dungeon, exactly where the troll was rumoured to be! What was Dumbledore thinking? One of the prefects tried to point this out, but received an icy look from the remaining Professors and an order to do as they were told.

A second year burst into tears of fright and several others didn't look far from doing the same themselves. Demetera, the female fifth year prefect, managed to calm her down while the seventh year prefects restored order. "It's all right, everyone. Calm down and stay together, we will go to the library until the teachers get rid of the Troll. If any of the teachers have an issue with that, they can take it up with us and Professor Snape."

Relieved that someone had come up with a workable idea that wasn't likely to result in death or injury, the Slytherins started off. Lingering near the back of the group, they were just reaching a three-way point in the corridor when Roisin froze.

Hermione had not shown up at the feast and therefore didn't know about the troll! Roisin was likely to receive all kinds of hell for it, but someone had to warn her!

Making sure that the Prefect nearest to her was looking the other way, Roisin slipped off to the third-floor girl's bathroom, where Hermione was supposedly hiding.

* * *

Dodging a few other small groups of students, Roisin had just reached the third floor when she crashed into Ron and Harry. Ron looked like he was about to demand what she was doing here, but Harry motioned for both of them to be quiet as a truly foul smell hit them and the Troll came into sight. Clapping a hand over her mouth to silence a gasp, Roisin and the two boys hid as the Troll went past.

It turned into a room off the hall, and the three of them snuck up behind it, locking it in. Roisin was just about to keep looking for the Girl's Bathroom, when she saw the sign above the door that they had just locked, and turned white, just as they heard a scream from inside the room.

Exchanging horrified looks, they smashed the door open to see the Troll towering over Hermione, who was trapped against the wall, looking ready to faint.

Harry grabbed a tap that the Troll had apparently smashed off the wall and threw it at the Troll, gaining its attention. "Distract it!"

Roisin threw a stinging hex that Opal, a fourth year, had taught her a few days before. The Troll roared and started lumbering toward her as Ron yelled at it and threw a metal pipe. It turned away from Roisin, giving her and Harry a chance to duck behind and grab Hermione, trying to drag her out. She seemed too scared to move.

Harry's attention was drawn back to Ron, who was cornered with nowhere to go. Wondering just what her cousin hoped to accomplish by jumping on the Troll's back and sticking his wand up it's nose, Roisin pointed her wand at Hermione, practically snarling. "Pull yourself together and move it! Before I leave you to the Troll!"

This seemed to get through to the terrified girl, who finally started to move, skirting their way around the fight against the troll. They had made it half way to the door when Ron managed to knock the Troll out with it's own club, making Roisin offer a prayer of thanks to whatever higher power might be listening, that they had learned the levitation charm.

Her prayer froze mid-thought, however, at the sight of Professors McGonagall, Quirrel and Snape standing in the doorway, obviously drawn by the noise. Roisin was trying to think of a way to explain this that wouldn't result in detention for the rest of her natural life, when she heard Hermione speak up, taking the blame and blatantly  _lying_  to a teacher! If this wasn't the wizarding world, and thus somewhat probable, Roisin would be looking around for a flying pig.

As Professor McGonagall spluttered in shock at Hermione's explanation, Professor Snape smoothly cut in. "I will leave you to deal with your students, Minerva. Miss O'Conner, come with me."

Roisin winced, but followed her Head of House. A few corridors out of sight, the Professor stopped, turning to face her. "What did you think you were doing, Miss O'Conner? You were supposed to be in the Common Room with the rest of Slytherin House."

Roisin looked at the floor, not wanting to see the disappointment in her teacher's eyes. "Professor Quirrel said that the Troll was in the dungeons, so the Prefects led us to the library. We were on our way there when I remembered that Hermione Granger hadn't turned up for the Feast, and some of the other students said that she was in the bathroom crying, which meant that she wouldn't have heard about the Troll. She may be a Gryffindor, but I didn't want her to be killed."

Professor Snape's voice was neutral, but at least it wasn't deadly soft or shouting. "May I ask why you didn't tell a prefect or a teacher? Or why you didn't let her own Housemates deal with it? You could have been killed just as easily as the girl."

In hindsight, that did seem like the obvious solution. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't think, and the teachers were all looking for the Troll. I just thought I had to at least warn Hermione, because she isn't very popular in her own House, and I didn't know if any of them would bother."

Professor Snape let out a long breath. "I don't approve of your rash actions this evening, but I admit that you had good intentions. Twenty points to Slytherin. Now let us collect the rest of the House. I believe that we are finishing the Feast in our Common Rooms, and doubtless your friends will want to know what is going on."

Breathing a sigh of relief that she had got off fairly lightly, Roisin followed the Professor, slipping into the shadows as the rest of the House came out of the library and joining her friends near the centre.

* * *

Back in the Slytherin Dungeons, the remainder of the Halloween feast was somewhat subdued, as everyone was still somewhat shaken up by the Troll fiasco.

This did not, however, stop them from grabbing Roisin before she made it to the Girl's Dorms, and demanding to know what had happened when she disappeared.

Given little choice but to answer, Roisin stuck with a brief overview of the events, dodging around her reasons for trying to warn Hermione in the first place. She had already received a thorough and eloquent lecture from the Slytherin Prefects, and was in no mood to elaborate on the night's events. Her housemates could fill the blanks in for themselves, which would make it a lot easier on her all around. Roisin had barely been at Hogwarts for two months, far too short a time to make an enemy of her more extremist Housemates, who would be horrified at the very idea of risking her life to save a 'Mudblood'.

Thankfully, no one pressed the issue, and conversation turned to how the Troll got into the castle in the first place. Desdemona leaned against Theo, who promptly took on a deer-in-headlights expression. "Someone must have let it in, I think. By itself, a Troll wouldn't be smart enough to even unlock the doors, and I overheard Filch say that there were no signs of anything being smashed or broken on the way in."

Pansy scowled. "If someone did let it in, I hope I find out who. There are several things that I would like to do to them."

Draco nodded in agreement. "I'll say. If my father found out who was responsible for this, there would be hell to pay."

An eavesdropping Fifth Year made a derisive sound. "Forget Hell. You've never seen my mum angry. She makes a Chinese Fireball look tame."

Roisin couldn't help but wince at the comparison. While the most tolerant of its own species, the Fireball was one of the most dangerous dragon breeds, ranking just under the Hungarian Horntail. "I don't even want to think about how my grandmother will react. I don't really even want to think about the Troll. I just want to go to sleep and forget about it."

Seizing the chance to get away from Desdemona, Theo agreed. "Me, too. So at the risk of being rude, we will just be on our way."

The adrenaline of the evening's events had worn everyone out, and more than one of their Housemates followed the First Year's example. Safely tucked into bed, Roisin drifted off into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

 

 


	9. Quidditch, Curses and Questions

November made its presence known with a vengeance, turning the weather cold enough that the grounds had to be defrosted every morning, or at least have a clearly-marked path melted to the Greenhouses and the Gates, and prompting the Slytherin First Years to rush for their prefects and Professor Snape, desperate to learn warming charms.

This had done wonders for them in Potions, as Professor Snape refused to move classrooms, and the dungeons were easily the coldest part of the castle. It became routine to apply one or two warming charms before Potions class, then sit back and watch the Gryffindors shiver over their cauldrons.

Roisin had finally hit on a plan to gain her parent's permission to visit her Grandmother over the holidays. Deciding that simplicity was the way to go, she had left Desdemona laughing and sat down to write them a note.

The note said that she was happy to be visiting Privet Drive over the holidays and that she had received offers to stay at Hogwarts or visit others, naturally, but she didn't think that they would agree, and besides she needed permission from her parents to visit somewhere else, and that she couldn't wait to show them all the amazing things that she had learned.

Borrowing Harry's owl to send the letter, Roisin wondered if she hadn't laid it on a bit thick. But it wasn't quite a lie. Roisin would have loved to show her family all the new things she had learned, but she was intelligent enough to realize that it would end badly, and probably with a lot of screaming.

The degree of exaggeration hadn't mattered, however, when she had received a reply at breakfast, stating that she should use the chance to get to know her friends better, and that it would be a marvellous idea to go and visit any one of them.

Reading the note aloud had sent most of the First Years into gales of laughter. Roisin, raised on the idea that Chrismas was a time for family, managed a forced smile and a giggle. Well, her Grandmother's family were her family too, she supposed.

* * *

In other news, the Quidditch season had started, with just as much fanaticism as the football or soccer seasons back in the Muggle world.

By all accounts, Marcus Flint, the Slytherin captain, had narrowed his world down to two things: Rant about Gryffindor's new Seeker, while adjusting tactics to accommodate for Harry's actual competence, and drill the Slytherin Quidditch team mercilessly in preparation for the upcoming match against Gryffindor.

Harry was supposed to have been Gryffindor's secret weapon, but word had leaked out, as it always did, and Gryffindor was supporting their team by being louder and more boisterous than ever. Roisin gave it a few more days before people started throwing hexes.

Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff weren't _quite_ as bad, but still made their support in a very public manner.

Slytherin supported their team in a quieter, but more sensible, way. They helped the team members with schoolwork, as Flint was leaving almost no time outside of practice, and made sure that there was always someone around with a hot drink and warming charms when the team returned, shivering, from training.

It was certainly more practical than cheering and flocking around the House team when they wanted nothing more than to warm up, finish their schoolwork and go to bed.

* * *

The morning of the first Quidditch match dawned very bright and very cold. More than one of the Slytherin Team bore faintly martyred expressions when Flint informed them that they would not be wearing anything that may slow them down in the air, and would thus be playing without scarves or extra layers.

Looking over at the Gryffindor table, Roisin felt a faint stab of sympathy at her cousin's green face, while his friends tried to make him eat something. Whatever they were saying didn't seem to help, as Harry now looked ready to throw up.

Roisin's attention was drawn back to the Slytherin table when Pansy passed her the porridge tureen. Adding milk, honey and a touch of cinnamon, Roisin started eating. There was no reason for her to starve from worry, after all, and if something did happen, she would be of no use if she had fainted from hunger.

At ten thirty, the Quidditch team headed out for the lockers and everyone else rushed back to the Common Room for cloaks and scarves. Trying to get far enough in Adrian Pucey's (one of the chasers) good books to convince him to teach them a few of the more advanced defense material, the First Years brought along warm clothing for the Quidditch team, who were likely to be freezing after flying at high speeds and great altitude.

At eleven, they were all in the Quidditch stands, along with most of the rest of the school, armed with banners, flags and loud cheering voices.

Madame Hooch blew her whistle, and the players were off!

A Gryffindor boy, Lee Jordan, was commentating with heavy bias, despite being sternly watched by Professor McGonagall. Tuning him out, as he obviously wasn't going to say anything positive about Slytherin, however they played, Roisin focused on what was going on in the game.

Harry was circling far above the other players (a wise move, considering the violence from both sides) as the Quaffle was passed, intercepted and dropped, moving from player to player. Flint nearly scored, but was stopped by an impressive save from Gryffindor Keeper Wood. Gryffindor took the Quaffle and scored the first goal of the match. The Gryffindor stands exploded with cheers. Roisin caught a glimpse of Hagrid, the man who had given her and Harry their letters, sitting with them.

The Fifth Year Slytherin boy prefect, Tiberius, scowled and muttered something rude. Selena, his counterpart, smirked. "Well they do have reason to cheer. The team hasn't won more than a few matches for over seven years now; it stands to reason that they'll be excited."

Slytherin was back in possession, and Adrian Pucey was speeding toward the Gryffindor goalposts when a flash of gold shot past his ear, making him drop the Quaffle as Jordan shouted to potential appearance of the Golden Snitch. Both seekers raced after it and Harry was just pulling ahead when WHAM! Flint had been speeding past with the Quaffle, after scoring when everyone was distracted by the seekers chasing the snitch, and blocked Harry, who had to jerk out of the way to avoid him, giving the snitch time to disappear again.

Madam Hooch ordered a free shot for Gryffindor, bringing the score even again, and the game resumed. Montague had just stolen the Quaffle from Katie Bell when Roisin looked back at Harry for a moment and saw him zigzagging strangely through the other players. That was odd, as only a few seconds before he had been flying high again, and if he had seen the snitch, he would have been flying a lot faster.

Flint was hit hard in the face by a bludger, but still managed to score, bringing the score up to twenty to ten, Gryffindor's way, when Harry's broom gave a sudden lurch and seemed to try and buck him off.

The Slytherins were cheering and no one seemed to have notice until Harry's broom started carrying him higher and higher, jerking around as it went, then spinning into a series of rolls until Harry was thrown off, hanging on by one hand.

Houses aside, Roisin turned white with fear for her cousin's safety as the Gryffindor team tried to reach him, without success. Every time they tried to catch up and reach him, the broom only went higher. Flint took the opportunity to score five times without being noticed.

Flint scored twice more as the Gryffindor players finally resorted to flying lower, hoping to catch him when he fell. Wood noticed the score; (ninety points to twenty) paled, and went back to guarding the hoops. He was still slightly distracted, however, and the Slytherin Chasers were merciless as Harry's broom stopped acting up and he managed to climb back on, before going into a steep dive.

The Slytherin chasers had scored three more times and went for a fourth when Harry suddenly clapped his hand over his mouth as if he was going to be sick. He hit the ground on all fours as Slytherin made one more goal, coughed, and spat something small and golden into his hand. It was the snitch, and the game ended in total confusion.

* * *

The First Years didn't wait around to hear the official announcement of the scores (Gryffindor wins one hundred and seventy to one hundred and forty) and rushed down to where the Slytherin Team stood, with Flint howling about how swallowing the snitch shouldn't count as catching it.

Leaving her year mates to hand out warmer clothing, Roisin rushed off to where the Gryffindors waited, just in time to see him being led off to Hagrid's hut, accompanied by Weasley and Granger. Frantic to see if Harry was all right, Roisin followed.

She arrived at the hut and burst in without knocking. (She would apologize later) Harry was holding a strong cup of tea the size of a kettle, and talking with the others. Roisin entered just in time to hear Weasley saying "…cursing your broomstick, muttering, wouldn't take his eyes off you."

Roisin ignored that and ran over to where Harry sat, giving him just enough time to put his tea down before launching herself forward and wrapping her arms around him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him exchange a frantic look with Weasley just as Hagrid spoke, obviously refuting Weasly's statement. Roisin mentally rolled her eyes. Harry had no problems with diving to the ground at break-neck speeds, but panicked when she hugged him. Boys were ridiculous.

Awkwardly patting Roisin's back, Harry looked up at Hagrid. "I found out something about him. He was trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween."

Hagrid stared at them. "How'd you know about Fluffy?"

This produced a number of reactions:

Harry and Weasly gaped at him. " _Fluffy_?"  
Hermione looked just as shocked. "That _thing_ has a _name_?"  
Roisin jumped to her feet. "Three-headed dog? You never said anything about that! You just said that you found out why it was forbidden!"

The boys had the grace to look faintly sheepish. Harry was obviously thinking of a somewhat tactful way to reply when Weasley opened his mouth. "Well, you're a Slytherin. It's not like that house is known for being trustworthy."

Jumping to her feet, Roisin glared at the red-haired boy. "Well, Gryffindor is certainly living up to its expectations of biased hot-heads! You know what, never mind. Next time I see my cousin in some life-threatening situation, I'll sit back and ignore whether or not he's still in one piece!"

* * *

She stormed out of Hagrid's hut and back to the Slytherin Common Room, fuming. Bloody Weasley! Where did he get off making those kinds of judgements? He'd been at Hogwarts for only as long as she had, and all of his family were in Gryffindor, so their opinions were probably biased as well!

Snapping the password _Slytherin Forever_ (An excitable third-year had been passing by with his friends when the prefects were about to set the week's password, and they couldn't change it again until Monday.) Roisin stalked over to where her friends sat, waiting for her. Seeing the look on her face, they decided not to ask. Draco leaned back in his chair as Desdemona and Pansy shifted to make room. "So, is Flint still complaining about the match."

She had barely finished speaking when the hubbub of the Common Room was broken by a loud _"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it!"_ from where the Quidditch team sat, the other six reviewing their performance and listening to Flint rant in changing volumes with one ear. "That answers my question, I suppose."

Millicent didn't bother hiding her amusement at the dry tone. "It could have been worse, though. I mean, it was a pretty small margin, and it gives us a leg up on points."

Putting Hagrid's hut out of her mind, Roisin smiled and looked back at the Quidditch team. Flint had finally caught on that his team was ignoring the rant and was branching out to complain to anyone within hearing range. Seeing him heading toward the first years, Roisin hastily stood up. "And before Flint gets here, can anyone help me with my Charms essay? I'm stuck on the last three inches."

Not wanting to be caught and forced to listen to Flint ranting about Quidditch, Gryffindors and how it didn't count as a catch, the other first years quickly volunteered and hurried up to the girl's dorms. Thankfully, Gender Alarms weren't added until Third Year, so the only problem was the lack of space when crowding nine people into a four person room. Theo started to lean back onto Millicent's bed. Millicent kicked him off. Helping Theo up as the other boys quickly moved away from the beds, Blaise sent Roisin a curious glance. "Out of curiosity for the next match, is Potter all right? Any idea what had the broom acting like that?"

Roisin shrugged. "Weasley was saying something about someone cursing Harry's broom, and they were telling Hagrid that someone was trying to sneak into the forbidden corridor at Halloween, hence the Troll. I didn't hear any names, though. They also mentioned a Cerberus by the name of Fluffy." She let out a huff of annoyance, "Then Weasley started going on about un-trustworthy Slytherins and I left. Bloody prat."

Desdemona pulled a face. "Gryffindors are all like that. They look at a stereotype and decide that it's the golden rule. Slytherin's are _selective_ about who they trust or give loyalty to, but that doesn't make us any less trustworthy."

To everyone's surprise, it was Draco who put a reassuring hand on her arm. "Blood is important, though, and so is family. I hate Potter, personally, but don't give up on him because of his friends."

This earned him several surprised looks. Pansy smiled at him. "Draco, that was almost profound. This coming from the Pure-blood prince?"

A faint tinge of pink appeared on Draco's cheeks, and he quickly stood up. "Shut up, Pansy. I'm going downstairs to see if Flint has calmed down yet. The rest of you had better get moving before a Prefect finds us."

Roisin smiled faintly. "Thanks, Draco. Now I really do need to get to work on my Charms assignment."

 

 

 


	10. Christmas Celebrations

Term had ended and the Winter holidays had arrived.

Harry was staying at Hogwarts for Christmas (Roisin didn't blame him) along with the Weasly children and a few others, but most of the student population was happily anticipating returning home for three weeks.

Holidays and various celebrations were coming up, trunks were packed, the halls of Hogwarts resonated with carols, along with some very rude alternate lyrics from Peeves (the Prefects had flatly refused to explain what ' _Glory streams from Heaven great/Heavenly Hosts forniticate'_ was supposed to mean, and Professor Snape had turned a very interesting shade of purple before yelling for the Bloody Baron) and it was in a similar spirit that the students prepared to board the Hogwarts Express.

As few of the older families celebrated Christmas, many having at least one ancestor who suffered a burning or some of the less tolerant aspects of Christianity, the Slytherins rarely exchanged more than simple tokens as Midwinter gifts, usually before leaving Hogwarts.

For Roisin, whose parents had always gone with extravagant and expensive as the theme for presents, this was a large change, if a welcome one, as there was no way she would be able to fit her usual Christmas load into her dormitory, much less her school trunk.

With this in mind, Roisin had chosen her gifts carefully. Harry had grown up virtually without sweets, and as good as wizarding candy was, Harry had a weakness for Mars Bars. This in mind, Roisin had ordered a sweet assortment from one of Dublin's main sweet shops, thrown in several king-sized mars bars, and wrapped it up as his Christmas gift. His gift would not be received until December 25th, but still.

The other gifts were simple, but well though out, such as books on a topic of interest, or sweets, or a subscription to Witch Weekly that Pansy had been (loudly) wishing for. It was an unspoken agreement not to let Desdemona near sugar or caffeine if at all possible, but Roisin hoped that she liked her gift of _Unusual but Useful Charms That No-one Else Thinks Of._ Blaise received a set of Gobstones, as his parents considered a waste of time, but they really couldn't expect him to throw away a gift.

Although nothing like what she would have received at Privet Drive, Roisin would never deny loving her gifts. Draco had given her a book on Magical customs and etiquette, claiming that if she was going to be seen with him, Roisin would need to know how to behave. Pansy had hit the blond and told him to stop being a prat.

Blaise had a cousin who did wooden carvings charmed to move, and had given one to each of his year-mates. Pansy, Millicent and Theo had joined forces to give everyone a voucher to their favourite shop. Now all Roisin had to do was actually convince someone to take her to Bookworm's Haven to use it.

Crabbe and Goyle had also pooled resources and gone with the theory of 'give as you would receive' (Draco wondered where they had learned the phrase. Roisin and Millicent hit him)

It was Desdemona's gift, however, that she loved the most. One of the third-years, Amanda Flynn, was very camera-happy, and Desdemona had nagged the poor girl into taking several discreet photos of their little group, copied them, and started a photo album for each.

* * *

It was Saturday, December 14th, and Fionna O'Conner-Dursley waited at Platform Nine and three-quarters, counting the minutes until the Hogwarts Express arrived with her Grand-daughter Roisin.

About a third of the way through November, Fionna had received a very important letter from her Grand-daughter.  
Fionna had sent several letters to her grandchild, Roisin, about visiting over the Midwinter Holidays and meeting the rest of the O'Conner clan. To do this, however, Roisin would need her parent's permission, and that presented a problem, as Vernon and Petunia Dursley hated and feared anything out of the ordinary, and had been decidedly chilly toward her ever since they had found out about Fionna's own magical heritage. Therefore, Roisin would have to be the one to get permission.

Fionna had long since resigned herself to the fact that laughing at her children and daughter-in-law was the only way to deal with them if she didn't want to burst into tears and wonder how she had failed so badly with them. With the shock of a new world and being away from home for the first time, perhaps Roisin was adopting a similar attitude. The letter that Roisin had just sent enclosed not only signed permission for Roisin to visit others over the holidays, but also a copy of the letter that had persuaded them.

After skimming the letter's contents and laughing, Fionna quickly located her second cousin, the current Head of the Clan, and showed him the letter. Fionna had managed to contain her amusement to some degree, Vernon being her son, after all. Michael O'Conner had no such reservations. After spending several minutes incoherent with mirth, he ordered that the keep be made ready for her arrival in December. Bringing a child into the clan was cause for celebration, after all, not to mention the Midwinter Celebration.

Then again, one did have to remember the old saying; ' _No one can celebrate life like the Irish'_. The O'Conner Clan took this saying to heart, and celebrated whenever a reasonable opportunity presented itself.

"Reasonable Opportunity" could be anything from a good spring rain to a wedding, but the most important ones were occasions when someone was brought into the Clan, such as a birth or marriage, and the Solstice and Equinox celebrations. Like many of the older families, especially those who could trace back to the Witch Burnings, the O'Conner's ignored Christmas and Easter, and instead celebrated Wren Day on December 26, and the four Great Festivals of the year: Imbolc, Beltaine, Lughnasadh and Samhain.

Three of these four holidays would take place during the school terms, but the students usually held their own little celebrations or, if the holiday fell on a weekend, port keyed home for the celebration.

Fionna was shaken out of her thoughts when the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station, and students started to pour out, running to meet their families. Looking around, Fionna spotted Roisin with a small knot of other First Years, waving goodbye as they separated.

Hugging her granddaughter, Fionna twisted the Claddagh ring on her fourth finger, a ring that never failed to make her feel a pang of grief for her husband, activating the charm that would bring them to the O'Conner Keep.

* * *

The O'Conner Keep, like many others, was actually a large stone Fortress, which served as a refuge in times of Danger and as home to the Ruling family. The rest of the Clan occupied the small village that surrounded the Keep, but it was hard to tell, with the amount of interaction.

People were constantly in and out, and it was impossible to tell who was a resident and who was just visiting. Roisin stayed close to her Grandmother as they walked through the halls to meet the current Head of the Clan.

Roisin didn't really know what she had been expecting, but she was fairly sure that it hadn't included a spacious study and a small group. Michael sat with his wife, Nessa, who had immediately pulled her into a hug and started on how it was wonderful to finally meet her.

Roisin was rescued by sixteen-year-old Aiden, Michael's oldest son, who grinned at her as he carefully extracted Roisin from his mother's arms. The rest of the immediate ruling family was the ten-year-old twins Seamus and Mary, who would be attending Hogwarts next year and could barely wait to start asking questions, and six-year-old Erin, who shyly asked Roisin to help her look for a faery fort at some point during the holiday.

After the initial introductions, Mary and Seamus immediately volunteered to show Roisin to the guest room where she would be staying until she and Fionna could work out a more permanent lodging for the future. The muttering about never having to go back to 'those idiot muggles' did not go un-noticed. Roisin foresaw extreme mothering in the near future. Maybe it would even surpass the fussing that Petunia used to do.

Roisin started to regret her acceptance of the twin's help about halfway to the guest wing, and wished she had paid more attention to the sympathetic look Aiden had been giving her. Roisin was sure that she had never had this much energy when she was their age, and knew for a fact that the last time she had asked so many questions was when she had discovered the existence of magic.

What House was she in at Hogwarts? How were you sorted? Where did everyone sleep? What were classes like? Did she have any favourites? What was the castle like? Did they have any activities other than Quidditch?

Roisin mentally added another question: Did these two ever stop talking? Even saying that she needed to unpack didn't get rid of them. Mary opened her trunk, Seamus started taking her non-school clothing out, and they continued asking questions. She nearly cried with relief when Nessa came and shooed them off to get ready for the feast that night.

Fionna had told her about the feast to welcome her into the Clan (and welcome Fionna back to the Keep, which she had often avoided thanks to the memory of how they had been so reluctant to accept Frank), but Roisin still wasn't quite prepared for the celebration in their honour, or the loud cheering when they walked in the door.

It was easily on par with the Hogwarts Welcoming Feast, if not bigger. It was also a lot louder and more raucous, probably to do with a wider age variety, and the presence of alcoholic beverages.

She was originally seated at the head table, but when the music started, everyone abandoned the seating plan to join up with their friends. Roisin was dragged into a group of children around her age, talking and laughing and daring each other to ask someone else to dance.

* * *

On December 26th they celebrated Wren Day, where the boys chased down a wren until they caught it or the bird died of exhaustion. The wren was paraded through the streets with the boys singing and asking for donations and handing out feathers for good luck.

The donations were used to hold a dance that night with the wren sitting on top of a pole decorated with ribbons, flowers and wreaths. It was nearly as much fun as the feast the first night that Roisin had arrived.

The rest of the holidays consisted of getting to know her extended family, especially her wealth of cousins, forming friendships and participating in whatever said friends could think of to pass the time.

Fionna was of the opinion that everyone should know how to ride, and there was no shortage of horses to learn on. Roisin had taken riding lessons when she was younger, when Petunia had thought that she needed a hobby and Roisin had baulked at ballet lessons, not having the patience or co-ordination to really do well. The riding lessons had lasted until the horses were unable to move faster than a walk while carrying Dudley, and often had to be left in the paddock for the rest of the day when the lesson was finished.

After hearing this via eavesdropping, her older cousins and their friends took it upon themselves to take her riding with them on a regular basis. She could also go with younger friends as long as she had an adult accompanying them.

They could also watch the older children practice fighting or duelling. Roisin found the staff-fighting to be quite fascinating, and immediately started watching whenever possible, plotting a response for the next time Dudley tried to hit her with his Smeltings Stick.

A few days after arriving, Roisin had located the extensive library and happily spent hours there, reading her way through the seemingly limitless volumes. Of course, she was usually interrupted about an hour or so in by someone who thought she needed to spend more time in the sun.

Erin and the younger children were always looking for a 'big' person willing to play with them, which was an adventure in and of itself, and if all else failed; she could resort to finding new and different ways to hide from Seamus and Mary when they were in an inquisitive mood.

Her friends from Hogwarts also owled her on a frequent basis, asking about how her holidays were going. Draco wrote about the Yule parties and other functions he attended with his family and complained about being forced to mingle with the 'lower class' children while his father talked business with their parents. Pansy and Desdemona asked how she was and if there were any cute boys there, said that they were having fun at home and complained about being forced to listen to Draco complain.

Crabbe and Goyle had little to say, as usual, and their letters rarely consisted of more than: ' _We are having fun, what about you?'._ It was the thought that counted, however.  
Blaise had been dragged off to visit his paternal relatives in Italy, but still had a lot of interesting things to talk about. He said that it was annoying that his aunts, uncles and various cousins were constantly going on about his mother's questionable judgement in marrying an English wizard, but amusing to watch the reaction when his parents and grand-parents overheard. His mother researched spells for the Ministry of Magic, and his father, before his death, had apparently had no qualms about testing them out on his siblings. His current father was not quite the same, but still wouldn't tolerate rudeness toward his wife and step-son.

Theo and Millicent's holidays were very quiet by comparison, spent at home with parents and immediate family, with the occasional outing. The most notable thing that had occurred with them was the occasional spell gone wrong at Theo's house and Millicent's cousin tripping over the rug and accidentally setting the tree on fire as they were starting to add the candle decorations.

* * *

All too soon, the holidays were over, and Roisin found herself packing her trunk (again with help from the twins, who had come up with more last-minute questions.) and saying goodbye to everyone before portkeying back to England and spending the night in London before boarding the Hogwarts Express back to school.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Put it this way: if you are too young to look up what fornicate means, you are too young for me to explain it to you.


	11. Dragons and Impending Exam Doom

The train-ride back to Hogwarts was rather boring, and consisted mainly of repeating the events of the holidays that they had already written each other about, keeping Desdemona sitting in one spot, and mentally cursing whoever had given her the sugar laced coffee that she had been drinking when they had arrived on the platform.

They went from the station to the castle in horseless carriages this time, and there was no feast to welcome everyone back. There was a rather loud shriek from the Gryffindor table, drawing everyone's attention to where Hermione Granger was scolding Harry and Ron Weasley about something. (Millicent, who had been closer, mentioned hearing what sounded like: "If you were caught!") Roisin tried to feel sympathetic for her cousin's plight, but eventually gave up in the face of amusement.

Term started the next day, and it was back to studying. Potions was as fun as ever, although it probably would have been even more enjoyable if Neville Longbottom didn't manage to ruin a potion or blow something up every few lessons.

Also, Quidditch practice had started again. Furious at the defeat by Gryffindor, Flint had turned into an absolute madman as far as Quidditch was concerned. He had gone to Madam Hooch the instant term had started and booked every time slot she would let him have. The first years were convinced that the only reason the Slytherin team wasn't training every second out of class was that Gryffindor Captain Wood was apparently on the same wavelength as Flint about the upcoming Gryffindor/ Hufflepuff match and booked nearly as many practices as Flint had.

It was enough to make even Draco start to re-consider trying out for Quidditch next term. Roisin just felt sorry for Harry. Constant pouring rain had replaced the snow, and neither captain seemed to understand that not everyone was as fanatic about Quidditch as they were, and that the School Nurse was running out of Pepper-up potions.

* * *

Roisin had never been very interested in sports, and as Slytherin wasn't playing that match, saw no real reason to watch. She was sure to get a minutely detailed account from at least one of her housemates anyway, so why waste time? She had a book to finish and a mail order to Bookworm's Haven to send. Paying little attention to the few others who also followed her train of thought, Roisin selected a large chair near the fireplace and curled up with her book.

Roisin had just closed _Deltora Quest: the Lake of Tears_ when the rest of the house returned. Turning around to greet her year mates, Roisin nearly dropped her book at the magnificent black eye that Draco had gained at some point since she saw him last. She was about to ask what had happened when Pansy caught her eye with a _Please-Gods-Don't-Mention-It_ look, and Blaise mouthed 'I'll explain later."

Roisin settled for a sympathetic expression and asked how the game had gone. This earned a large amount of dark muttering, until Blaise rolled his eyes and took her aside to explain.

It seemed that Snape had somehow been chosen to referee the game (how this had happened, no-one had any idea) but Gryffindor had still managed to win in less than ten minutes. This put Gryffindor in first place for the cup, and Slytherin in a towering bad mood.

Draco's black eye had been gained when he had been taunting Ron Weasley and the boy had snapped, punching him in the eye and starting a brawl. Crabbe and Goyle had joined in, which only made things even more chaotic.

Weasley had gained a possibly broken nose for his efforts, but the real surprise was that Neville Longbottom had somehow gained the courageous stupidity so common to Gryffindors, and joined in against Goyle and Crabbe. Predictably, he was still out cold in the hospital wing. Brave or not, they were still twice his size and much stronger, which meant that in a physical confrontation, they were almost certain to win.

* * *

February came, and the older magical families temporarily ignored House barriers to celebrate Imbolc.

The weather had finally cleared enough for a bonfire celebration, and a number of the older students told the younger ones to ignore the Divination Professor Trelawney, teaching them their own ways of the craft and of seeking omens.

Surprisingly enough, Professor McGonagall offered the use of the Staff Meeting Room for the hearth fire and the female practice of the Bridget Bed. Thanking her, the female students made their _brideog_ s and brought sleeping bags to stay together overnight. They set up candles, and laid out clothing or strips of cloth for the goddess Brigit to bless for luck.

Roisin laid out a long scarf that she would cut in half the next day. With all the trouble Harry had been managing to get himself into so far, not to mention when they returned to Privet Drive at the end of the year, her cousin could use all the luck he could get!

In late February, however, came the build up to exams. Theo and Millicent, the more learning-oriented Slytherin First-Years, had started to drag the others into revision for the upcoming exams, whether they wanted to or not. Draco and Desdemona were decidedly in the 'NOT' category, but in a surprising twist, Crabbe and Goyle threw themselves into revising with unusual vigour. Probably they realized the necessity of good grades to get into Second Year, and were self-aware enough to realize that they needed all the help that they could get.

Sadly, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Theo and Millicent, and were piling on a mountain of revision and homework, meaning that although Roisin once again visited her grandmother for the Easter Holidays, where Fionna had taken up residence in a small house outside the immediate keep, as only the ruling family and their immediate kin lived in the Keep Proper, she spent most of it cooped up in the Keep library, working her way through all her schoolwork. Thankfully, the library had several resources that Hogwarts did not, leaving Roisin some amount of recreational time.

* * *

However bad the Slytherins were suffering, however, they took comfort in the fact that Gryffindor had it even worse. Hermione Granger was even worse than Millicent and Theo, and was hounding the other Gryffindors mercilessly about studying, as they had found out from Seamus Finnigan and Harry, who finally resorted to 'lowering' themselves to spend time with the notoriously anti-muggle-born Slytherins, just to get some peace and quiet.

Under the pretence of wanting to spend a bit of time with a fellow Irish (Seamus Finnigan) or cousin (Harry), the two boys had practically begged Roisin to hide them from their bookworm housemate, which the Slytherins had found very amusing.

It wasn't often that you found an eleven-year-old boy not only terrified of a girl smaller than both of them (the Hogwarts food, magical environment and regular exercise had sent Harry on a growth-spurt), but also willing to admit it.

* * *

March went by in a blur of studying, with a slight pause to celebrate Millicent and Roisin's birthday. Millicent's birthday was on March 13th, Roisin's on the 22nd. The first years split the difference and celebrated on March 17th. Pansy had given them both a charm bracelet, and Desdemona had bought them two charms each: a miniture book and a pair of clasped hands. The boys had banded together to buy Millicent a large bottle of the latest perfume, and Roisin a beautifully carved wooden music box that changed tunes with the owners mood. They took the evening off from studying and Crabbe and Goyle produced a birthday cake from the kitchens.

The next day it was back to studying, and Roisin's music box played a slow, mournful lament.

* * *

One day only a few weeks before exams, the Slytherins were just returning from Herbology when Draco came running up behind them, closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle. This in itself was worthy of attention, as Draco had always considered running to be beneath a Malfoy's dignity, except in very extreme cases, which this apparently was.

The news that Draco carried, however, was of even more note. According to Draco, Groundkeeper Hagrid had somehow acquired a dragon egg that was due to hatch that very day. This sparked all sorts of conversation, from disbelief to shock that such a thing could be allowed.

Pansy was convinced that there must be some mistake, and Theo backed her up, saying that there was no way the Groundskeeper possessed the brains or discretion needed to keep a dragon under wraps. Draco insisted that he knew what he heard, with Crabbe and Goyle as witnesses. Blaise and Millicent suggested that maybe the people Draco had overheard were wrong, because a dragon at Hogwarts would never be permitted. Desdemona thumped her head in resignation when Draco told them that he had overheard Harry, Ron Weasly and Hermione Granger talking about it, arguably the only people in Hogwarts close enough to Hagrid to actually know if it was true or not.

Fearing that the conversation was on the edge of turning into an all-out fight, Roisin suggested that they verify the facts by following Harry and Co. next time they visited Hagrid. Asking one of them flat out would be useless, partly because they were Slytherins and therefore automatically suspected of being up to no good, but mostly because Harry may have been a terrible liar, but he was intensely loyal to those he liked.

Following Harry, Hermione and Ron down to Hagrid's after class proved easier than expected, which re-enforced Draco's story. Harry's knack for avoiding Dudley and Ron Weasley's probable sense for trouble from growing up with the Weasly Twins would usually have made them much more aware of their surroundings and that they were being followed. Crabbe and Goyle were not known for their subtlety.

Peeking through the window while the others hid nearby, Draco relayed the going-ons in a whisper. "They're sitting around a table, and what looks like a big rock is sitting on it. The egg is wobbling and cracking and… oh, bloody hell."  
Mixed replies of "Draco, Language!" and "What is it?" were met with an almost shaky response. "I told you it was a dragon egg. The man has a bloody Norwegian Ridgeback! Damn! They've seen me, let's get out of here."

* * *

Over the next week, Draco had derived what many would consider an unseemly amount of pleasure by smirking at the Gryffindor Trio whenever he saw them. The Slytherins hadn't told anyone, largely because they doubted anyone would believe them, but also because that would mean having to relay how _they_ knew about it. Besides, as Roisin pointed out, dragons grew like weeds, so how long could Hagrid actually keep the thing a secret? He would have to get rid of it, and with no trouble to them.

As if the load of schoolwork and the mess with the dragon wasn't enough, Wednesday the week after that brought even more trouble. Neville Longbottom had been forced to re-make the previous day's potion, as he was in severe danger of failing, and still managed to mess it up, unfortunately just as Roisin and Blaise were coming to ask Professor Snape a question about the potions essay they were working on.  
Entering first, Roisin had barely made it two steps into the classroom when Neville's cauldron exploded, covering her with gunk. Blaise immediately escorted her back out of the classroom with Professor Snape's offer of an extension and made a beeline for the Hospital Wing, listening to Professor Snape shouting at Neville.

The failed potion was cleaned off easily enough, but the Nurse, Madam Pomfrey, insisted on keeping Roisin overnight, just in case any unexpected side effects appeared. Blaise and Desdemona reappeared to join her for dinner and bring her the class work she had been working on, but left shortly after.

Thursday morning saw Roisin in a foul mood. The potion had caused her to break out in a rash late last night, and she was stuck in the Hospital Wing until at least lunchtime so Madam Pomfrey could figure out the cure.  
Things brightened slightly about half an hour before she was finally able to make her escape. Madam Pomfrey insisted that she have someone come up to escort her back to the Common Room, just in case, and Desdemona was just entering the room to wait with Roisin when she was nearly bowled over by Ron Weasley, who appeared in something of a rush. The reason why was quickly obvious. The red-head's hand was swollen to nearly twice its normal size, and turned a rather violent shade of purple.

Supposedly checking the rest of the room to see if Roisin had missed any of her assignments or notes that she had worked on while in the Hospital Wing, the two girls listened in as Weasley told Madam Pomfrey that he had been bitten by a dog. This prompted the girls to exchange an incredulous look. The only dog at Hogwarts belonged to Hagrid, and no boarhound could cause that sort of effect, no matter how hard they bit you.

Madam Pomfrey obviously came to the same conclusion, if her disbelieving expression was anything to go by, but she let Roisin go before they could stick around and find out more. Deciding that someone else would have to come up with an excuse to find out what was going on, the girls headed back to the Slytherin Common Room to tell the others what was going on.  
Hearing the news, Draco immediately rushed out to visit the Hospital Wing, under the pretence of borrowing a book. No one was under any delusions that he really just wanted to laugh at Weasly's misfortune. The news he returned with, however, was worth it.

Ron Weasley's brother Charlie had written him a letter, saying that he would come to collect the dragon that Saturday at midnight.

The news was priceless, but Roisin just wanted to go to her dorm and regain the sleep that she had missed the previous night. Leaving her year mates to discuss whether to tell a teacher or to ambush the Gryffindors themselves, she went upstairs and told them to call her when they had to go to afternoon classes.

* * *

Roisin never did get around to asking what the final verdict had been, but it became all too clear on Sunday morning, when they arrived for breakfast and walked past the hourglasses that showed the number of House points. Twenty of Slytherin's emeralds had been lost between last night and this morning, but Gryffindor had lost over a third of the shining rubies that represented their House points!

Belatedly realizing that they were blocking the doorway, the First Years quickly made their way to the Slytherin Table. Sitting down and helping herself to scrambled eggs and fruit, Roisin looked at her friends. "Okay, how the heck did Gryffindor manage to lose over a hundred points in one night?"

Draco pulled a face. "I wanted to catch Potter and his friends with the dragon, but McGonagall caught me. Slapped me with detention and took twenty points. Filch caught Potter, Granger and Longbottom and brought them to her office just as she was finishing a lecture. She yelled at them too, and gave them detention as well. Then went and took fifty points from each of them!"

Roisin winced and took a sip of orange juice. "Ouch. Things are not going to be pretty when the rest of Gryffindor finds out."  
Blaise nodded. "Look on the bright side, though. We're back in first place for the House cup."  
The others nodded in agreement, spirits lifting. Gryffindor's loss was Slytherin's gain, after all. Then a pair of Sixth Years walked past them, moaning about how exams were hell and they didn't even want to think about the NEWTs next year. The First Years exchanged looks. Back to studying it was.

 

 

 


	12. The End of the Year

Roisin's prediction of what would happen when the details of Gryffindor's lost one hundred and fifty points got out proved to be all too correct.

The three Gryffindors were ostracized by the other three houses, while most of Slytherin took great delight in cheering for them and thanking Harry for the loss of so many Gryffindor points. This only made things worse for Harry, but aside from glaring at the offender, there was really nothing Roisin could do to make her Housemates shut up, and had to settle for quiet support.

Even Quidditch, which Roisin knew to be her cousin's favourite part of Hogwarts, had gone downhill for Harry. Flint's Quidditch spies had reported that the rest of the team alternated between ignoring him and referring to him as only 'The Seeker'. While Flint was overjoyed at the rift in the Gryffindor team, Roisin couldn't help but feel sympathetic toward her cousin.

Neville and Hermione didn't have it quite as bad, but still suffered. Hermione had even stopped drawing attention to herself in class. Roisin really didn't see how that was supposed to help, although it was hard to miss several of the First Years from every house cheering that they could finally get a word in whenever a teacher asked a question.

Despite this, the castle atmosphere was rather subdued as they moved into the last week before the exams.

* * *

A break in the subdued and stressed atmosphere came when a traumatized Draco came stumbling back from his detention with the Gryffindors. The other Slytherin First Years had to spend over an hour calming him down and getting the details out of his rant about Horrible Detentions and Idiot Gamekeepers who thought it was a good idea to leave two First-Years with nothing but a dog for protection before he finally managed to fall asleep. Detention in the Forbidden Forest was enough to scare anyone, they all agreed afterward, once Draco was finally asleep, never mind seeing a dead unicorn and some kind of cloaked shadow drinking it's blood.

Lodging a vehement protest with Professors Snape and McGonagall, and the Headmaster, had no visible result, but Draco's letter home saw them watching a furious Mr Malfoy storming up from Hogsmeade as the First-Years made their way to Herbology. Given the whole situation, no one teased Draco when his nightmares continued until the exams, at which point everyone was too busy studying and/or worrying over the results to really dream about anything.

A few of the Slytherins could be heard complaining about how they dreamed of being chased by flying textbooks or potion vials shrieking about devouring student brains, which was not unusual before important tests, but otherwise, everyone was too exhausted to dream.

* * *

The night after the last exam, Roisin and Millicent had been volunteered by the others to help some of the older students sneak food from the kitchen for an 'Exams-Are-Over!' party when they ran into something unexpected.

Making their way back to the Common Room, arms laden with treats, they passed the Bloody Baron. Normally silent and sinister, their patron ghost was flushed a pale silver and ranting about Peeves and impudent someones daring to take his name in vain. Deciding not to make things worse by asking, the Slytherins remained silent until the Bloody Baron was out of hearing range and they were back in their Common Room.

Sitting with her friends, Roisin leaned back in her chair and selected a vanilla cupcake. "I wonder what that was about. The other ghosts have too much respect for the Baron to go around impersonating him, and Peeves wouldn't dare."

Draco gave her a puzzled look, swallowed a bite of Treacle Tart, and asked, "What are you on about? What does the Bloody Baron have to do with getting food for a party?"

Roisin and Millicent alternated between each other to explain what they had overheard. The others immediately began speculating what could have caused the Bloody Baron to behave in such an uncharacteristic way, but came up short.

Hearing them, a few of the older students leaned over to join the discussion. "Why would the Baron behave like that? None of us would show such disrespect, and the rest of the students are too intimidated by the bloodstains to try."

The Fifth Year Prefect, Tiberius, came to join them. "Beats me. The only weird thing I heard was that trio of Gryffindor Firsties saying something about a trapdoor and a dog being important."

Roisin wondered why a trapdoor would be important, then froze as she remembered something Ron Weasley had said months ago, when Draco had challenged Harry.

" _We went to the trophy room and nearly got caught by Filch. We managed to escape, but wound up in the third-floor corridor. Found out why it was forbidden, too. Last time I go near the place."_

Then what Harry had mentioned when she found him after that first, disastrous, Quidditch match.

" _I found out something about him. He was trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween."_

Third-floor corridor. A dog and a trapdoor. Dumbledore's warning about a very painful death! Roisin went almost as pale as the Bloody Baron's usual colour. She grabbed Tiberius's hand. "I need to talk to Professor Snape. It's an emergency!"

Blaise frowned; the other girls looked concerned, Draco looked even more confused than before. "What's so urgent, Rosie? You've gone pale, are you sure you don't need Madam Pomfrey?"

It was a mark of how worried Roisin was that she didn't respond to the despised nickname. She jumped to her feet and rushed out of the Common Room, closely followed by a worried Tiberius. He had no idea what was wrong, but if it managed to get one of the most self composed First Years in such a fluster, it had to be important.

* * *

Professor Snape was marking exams when two of his young snakes came bursting into his office. Knowing for a fact that Slytherin House was throwing a party to celebrate the end of the exams and should have no reason to be in his office, he raised an eyebrow. The prefect shrugged, obviously as in the dark as he was. The other student was Potter's cousin, Roisin. The Potions professor mentally groaned. Something to do with that blasted Potter brat again, he was sure.

Dismissing Tiberius with a wave of his hand, he nodded for Roisin to start talking. The girl started speaking faster than Granger usually did, words tumbling over each other. "The Bloody Baron was ranting about students daring to impersonate him, and Tiberius said that the only strange thing he heard was Harry, Weasly and Hermione saying something about a trapdoor and a dog and I remembered Weasly saying something about accidentally discovering a three-headed dog guarding a trapdoor on the third-floor. So I think they are going up there and I remember Dumbledore saying that anyone who did would die a painful death and I'm not crazy enough to try and stop them myself so I decided to come and ask you…"

Raising a hand to make the girl stop to breathe, Professor Snape mentally arranged what she had said into comprehensible sentences.

The foolish children were going after the Philosopher's Stone! Dumbledore was in London, but he would have to be called and told what was happening before it was too late! With that blasted dog and the Stone at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had at least had the sense to make sure the staff could contact him quickly in case of an emergency. Quickly opening his work diary and pressing a hidden button (Dumbledore had been watching too many muggle spy programs) Professor Snape ushered his panicking student out of the office. "Come, Miss O'Conner. I think we need to talk to the Headmaster. We will wait in his office until he returns."

Almost running in an attempt to keep up with her Head of House, Roisin tried to calm herself down as they made their swift way to the Headmaster's office. Stopping outside a very ugly gargoyle, Professor Snape said, _"Sugar Quill"_ which was obviously the password, as the gargoyle leapt to one side, revealing a staircase that probably lead to the Headmaster's office.

Once inside the office, Professor Snape gently guided his student to a chair and sat her down, then chose another chair for himself while they waited.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was really only a few minutes, the fireplace roared with green flames and Dumbledore stepped out. While still very worried for her cousin, Roisin had forced herself into a somewhat calmer state by now, and made a lot more sense when she explained her concerns to Dumbledore.

With what she considered to be an infuriating calmness, the Headmaster instructed Professor Snape to take Roisin back to the Common Room while he went after Harry and the others.

* * *

When under a great deal of stress, a person's moods can change quite rapidly. Given recent events, Roisin quickly went from worry to rage and she was darkly muttering very dire (not to mention physically improbable) suggestions as to what she would inflict on various people if Harry got hurt. Following Professor Snape back down to the dungeons, Roisin rejoined her friends, who instantly bombarded her with questions about what had her so worked up.

Seeing Roisin's obvious distress, Blaise told the others to shut up as they relocated to the First Year Boys dorms, which was slightly larger than the girls, having five occupants instead of four. Sitting down, they coaxed the story out of her. There was really nothing to say without sounding cruel or insensitive or blatantly false, since Draco wouldn't admit that Harry was resourceful under any circumstance whatsoever, and Desdemona looked ready and more than willing to hit anyone who upset Roisin further.

Bidding the boys a quick goodnight, the First Year girls forewent the rest of the party, rallied around Roisin and swept her off to their room for a good calming rest, broken only when Professor Snape arrived an hour or so later to inform her that Harry, Ron and Hermione had been found, mostly unhurt, and were safely confined to the Hospital Wing until Madam Pomfrey let them out. Roisin could visit them tomorrow, he said, but for now she was to get some rest.

* * *

Hogwarts was a school, which meant that nothing stayed a secret for very long. The Ravenclaw Patil Twin, although not quite the gossip her sister was, couldn't refrain from asking where Roisin was at breakfast the next day. Roisin was sitting with her cousin and refusing to budge, and the other Slytherin First Years were talking about what might be happening. Not really paying attention to Padma Patil's question, Crabbe accidentally spilled the general beans. Eyes wide, the Ravenclaw twin hurried over to talk to her sister and ask if she had any details. The Gryffindor twin promptly told her best friend, Lavender Brown, who told everyone who would listen that Harry had disappeared with Ron and Hermione last night and was now in the hospital wing. After that, it didn't take long for people to notice that Professor Quirrel was also absent, and link his disappearance to Harry's current condition, prompting a near-stampede to the Hospital Wing in search of answers.

Unfortunately for the would-be stampeders, Madam Pomfrey was tougher than she looked and extremely protective of her patients. Therefore, she had barred the doors to everyone who was not a patient's immediate family (which meant sibling or parent, excluding cousins), a member of staff, or genuinely injured, so the school was forced to wait until Hermione and Ron were released later that day.

Roisin had the feeling that they would probably have rather stayed in the Hospital Wing, as they were promptly bombarded with questions as soon as the other students caught sight of them. They refused to say anything, however, and so everyone had to content themselves with speculation and sending get-well-soon gifts.

Roisin spent a week staying in the Hospital Wing every spare moment she had, when sheer persistence and nagging finally persuaded Madam Pomfrey to extend 'family' to include cousins, and had to be literally dragged out of the Hospital Wing for curfew, classes and meals. She was joined in this by Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and temporarily joined forces with them to beat off Oliver Wood when he tried to retrieve his Seeker for the match against Ravenclaw.

The Gryffindor Team were slaughtered by Ravenclaw, who beat out Hufflepuff for second place in the House Cup, much to Slytherin's delight. Roisin was even happier a day or two after the match, when she walked into the Hospital Wing to see Harry awake and trying to beg Madam Pomfrey to let him have visitors. The Matron was nice, but very strict, and it took him several minutes, while Roisin, Hermione and Ron listened at the keyhole, to talk her into letting them have five minutes.

Hermione beat Roisin to Harry's bedside, but thought better of hugging him back into unconsciousness, to Harry's obvious relief. Instead they sat down and listened to the events that had lead to Harry's week-long unconscious stay in the Hospital Wing. Roisin had dragged the other details out of Hermione and Ron earlier, about how they had discovered that the Philosopher's Stone was hidden at Hogwarts, how they thought Professor Snape was trying to steal it to bring Voldemort back, and the various trials they went through trying to retrieve the Stone before the culprit did.

Roisin had a few choice words over that, regarding both their idea of who was trying to steal it and Dumbledore's idea of defense, if three first years could get past so easily.

Listening to the rest of the story from Harry, Roisin had several more less than polite comments, this time including why they tried to go up against a Dark Lord by themselves (so what if Dumbledore wasn't there, why didn't they drag Flitwick or someone with them?) and how Voldemort had managed to go un-noticed for the entire year.

She was prevented from continuing, however, by Madam Pomfrey's declaration that they had been there for fifteen minutes already and they would either leave willingly, _now_ , or she would throw them out herself and not let them return.

* * *

The day after that was the Hogwarts Leaving Feast, and while Ravenclaw may have won the Quidditch Cup, Slytherin had held the House cup for the eighth year running. Several Ravenclaws had been heard complaining about 'Slimy Slytherins' and 'almost had it'. The Slytherins who overheard them promptly informed the irate Ravenclaws not only where to take their complaints, but also what to do with them when they got there.

Professor Flitwick had overheard and taken points for their language, which Professor Snape had restored ten minutes later for 'creativity and inventive thinking', before giving the culprits detention for getting caught and endangering their grip on the House Cup.

So it was with great pride that the Slytherins entered the Great Hall to find it decorated in green, with the silver Serpent motif on the banners. Gryffindor Table was in a decided sulk, obviously under the impression that they should have been rewarded for Harry, Hermione and Ron's actions. A few Ravenclaws had taken their bad mood out by saying that if they were going to be rewarded, they would have been given points before now. This had nearly caused an all out brawl, but someone had spotted a professor and the two Houses had decided that it really wasn't worth it.

Roisin smiled in relief as she saw Harry enter, then in amusement as the entire Hall went completely still. It was mean of her, but the trapped expression on Harry's face was priceless as he made his way to the Gryffindor table.

Luckily, Dumbledore entered only a few moments later, and attention turned from Harry to Dumbledore's speech. Roisin waited for her Houses cheers to die down as Dumbledore announced them as the winners of the House Cup. The smiles faded slightly, however, when Dumbledore continued, saying that there were some last minute points to hand out. "First, to Mister Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor fifty points."

Ron Weasly looked like a radish with a bad sunburn as Gryffindor burst into cheers. Several Slytherins looked at each other in disbelief. Fifty points for a game of chess? If that wasn't a shoddy excuse for blatant favouritism, they didn't know what was, and they had an excellent education about favouritism from their own Head of House! A quick glance around the hall suggested that this was a once-off thing, as the currently-seething Chess Club hadn't won any points for their recent victory in a County-Wide tournament. Ron might be good, but Roisin doubted that he was _that_ good.

"Second, to Miss Hermione Granger, for the use of cool logic in the face of danger, I award Gryffindor fifty points."  
Hermione looked like she had burst into tears. The Slytherins looked ready to explode. This was just going too far. Even Hufflepuff was looking distinctly put out. Not only had they been overtaken at the last minute, but their sense of fair play and honesty had to be running around screaming at Dumbledore's reasoning for the extra points. The Sixth-Year Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff Care of Magical Creatures class hadn't been rewarded when they were learning how to deal with a sphinx last week, involving several complicated riddles and logic puzzles, and that was far more dangerous than figuring out a few potions!

"Third, to Mister Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor sixty points."  
The noise was deafening, but Roisin couldn't help think that Dumbledore wasn't doing Gryffindor any lasting favours. Hufflepuff still looked unhappy, and Ravenclaw looked ready to hurt someone. Nerve and Courage (or sheer stupidity, depending on your viewpoint) were supposedly traits of Gryffindor House, and 'third' implied that still more were to be given. Why not give Ravenclaw points for extreme bookishness leading up to exams, or give Hufflepuff a reward for their hard work and outrage on behalf of everyone, not just themselves?

Slytherin were just as furious. Gryffindor had gained one hundred and sixty points for the most transparent reasons anyone had ever heard (even some of the teachers were looking annoyed) and now they were tied with Slytherin! Dumbledore raised his hand for quiet, smiling benevolently, and several people around the Hall winced. This promised Violence. "There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies," (Gryffindor was making all kinds of enemies in the space of only a few minutes) "but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mister Neville Longbottom."

The Great Hall fell into a stunned silence, which was perfectly understandable, as Neville Longbottom had never gained so much as a point for Gryffindor before, but also because this was the most dreadful excuse yet. Terry Boot from Ravenclaw looked particularly annoyed, because he had been **docked** points last week, for turning Anthony Goldstien in for copying of an older student. Gryffindor House took a deep breath, about to burst into cheers, when an obviously furious Professor Snape stood up.

Professor Snape wasn't the only angry one. If the points had been handed out earlier, fine, but announcing them in the middle of the feast, especially _after_ the House Cup had already been awarded, served no real purpose than to seriously piss off Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and to humiliate Slytherin. Pansy looked ready to cry as Professor Snape spoke. "For common sense in knowing when to seek help from a Professor, ten points to Miss Roisin O'Conner."

Anyone paying attention could see a look of chagrin on Dumbledore's face, but he couldn't possibly refute Professor Snape's words without seeming biased. The students were obviously wondering whether they were supposed to cheer or not, as Slytherin and Gryffindor were tied once again, but the Headmaster spoke before things got out of hand. "Since we have a tie, it seems that a slight change in decoration is in order."

He clapped his hands, and half of the green and silver banners were replaced with red and gold. Professors Snape and McGonagall glared at each other, but shook hands anyway as the Feast appeared on the tables.

* * *

Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Houses maintained something of a frosty demeanour toward Gryffindor, but as they returned home the next day, and Gryffindor had sort of broken their losing streak, it had no real effect.

With everything that had happened, Roisin had almost forgotten that exam results were due back. Hermione Granger had come top of the year (much to any number of people's annoyance, but no-one's real surprise) but Roisin and the Slytherins had also scored quite well. Roisin's highest marks had been in Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts, despite the utterly useless Professor Quirrel.

Then, all of a sudden, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed and Neville Longbottom's toad was found lurking in the Second Year Girls toilet (how it got there was a mystery), located by following the screams. The toad was promptly thrown at the boy's head when they tracked him down to give it back.

Notices were handed out informing the students that they were not allowed to do magic over the holidays. The older Slytherins informed the younger ones that they should borrow their parent's wands if they needed to do magic.

Vernon, Petunia and Dudley didn't know she was forbidden to do magic, and the Keep had a ward around it to make magic detection impossible, so Roisin wasn't overly worried.

Hagrid took the First Years down to the little fleet of boats that sailed across the lake back to the station. Roisin didn't see why they couldn't just take thecarriages like the rest of the school, but there was no use protesting.

They boarded the Hogwarts Express and set off for London, happily discussing what they would do over the Summer Holidays. Fionna had written Roisin and informed her that she would be coming to the O'Conner Keep for Lughnasadh and the remainder of the holidays after that, but until then she would have to put up with Privet Drive.

Being stuck at Privet Drive also meant Hell To Pay at the appearance of anything out of the ordinary. This in mind, Roisin asked her friends to send letters to the O'Conner Keep or wait until the second half of the holidays to write her. It was hardly an ideal solution, but better than nothing.

All too soon, the Hogwarts Express was pulling into the station, and Roisin was waving goodbye to her friends, promising to keep in touch by owl whenever possible. She was stuck with Muggles for the first half of the holidays, after all.

They crossed the barrier between stations in small groups so as not to attract attention, and Roisin sighed when she and Harry went through, and were met by her parents and Dudley. Harry managed a hasty goodbye to Hermione and the Weasley family before they were dragged off, out of sight of _normal_ people, for what promised to be a long summer…

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I made Roisin sound like a bit of a Mary-Sue at the feast, but doesn't anyone else think that Dumbledore's announcement was kind of unfair? It embarrassed Slytherin in front of the entire school, and the points could have just as easily been handed out quietly before the feast, rather than getting people's hopes up. The other two houses may have been celebrating the Downfall of Slytherin, but I doubt that they would have been too pleased with the sudden change in house points, either


End file.
